I'm getting some pepper spray soon.

I took a class that said to carry your keys with your car key between your first two fingers so it'll be ready, and then have your other keys between your other fingers, with the sharp end facing down, so you can stab/claw the living hell out of somoeone.

I don't carry pepper spray, I've thought about getting some, but where I went to high school you could get expelled for even having it in you car, so I never got any. I also have little bit of a thing with thinking that I could beat some guy up who tried to attack me. I'm not a very big girl, but an attacker would be suprised at what I could do to protect myself because I'd put up a fight.

I also try not to be an easy target. When I'm walking to my car, usually in the parking garage, I keep my head up, and walk swiftly with my purse close to my body. I also carry my keys in my hand. I have an acrylic Iowa keychain that's sharp on the edges, and if I stabbed someone with that, it would do the trick.

As for getting pepper spray turned on you, I've been sprayed by it before my friends younger brother, and it really wasn't that bad, it burns, but you can still see. If a woman was to be attacked and the mace used against her, she wouldn't be debilitated to the point where she couldn't run away.

L.

Not always true. Some people will be down for the count if they are sprayed with mace or pepper spray. All people ard different and all reactions to being sprayed with either will be different.

Here is another quick question: Do those women on here that use pepper spray or mace feel that they could accidently spray or attack someone because they got scared or nervous too soon?
Meaning, what if you used pepper spray, mace or gouged someone with your keys only to find out that the man was simply looking for directions or for a gas station or something like that? It has happened before and if could get you into some serious trouble. And you never know, an attacker might claim that he was just trying to find something and when he approached you, he was attacked.

How do some of you feel about that?

I don't carry it, I've never considered where I live to be a "threatening" area...I've always felt pretty safe!

I'm not Canadian, but I'm pretty sure that you're right. It's been a few years, but once I went through the bridge from Detroit to Windsor, and they asked me if I had mace or pepper spray. I did, and I had to drive all the way back through the tunnel to throw it out in the U.S. because you weren't even allowed to throw it out in Canada.

As far as the question of accidentally spraying someone, I don't think that I would (of course you can never be sure). I might be full of it, but I think that I am a pretty good judge of whether someone is a threat, and I don't think that I would be prone to spray someone who is just looking for directions, as long as he keeps his distance and doesn't make a sudden move to grab me or anything. I'm not the type who gets freaked out by people unless there's a good reason (I do spend my days with felons, after all, and I've never even come close to feeling threatened by any of them, even when locked into a small room alone).

If someone is going to attack me and then say that I sprayed him or hit him or whatever for no reason, than so be it. I'd rather take that risk than take the risk of being raped or killed or tortured. I'd kick his ass in court any day. :)