Any help in calming a jittery populace is welcome in an age of brightly colored terror alerts. In the new book “Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family and Your Business” ($15.95, paperback), HarperCollins has found a savvy salesman in security consultant Juval Aviv, who used to fight terrorism for the Israeli government.
Aviv casts a wide net, offering tips on everything from identity theft to safely traveling overseas to protecting yourself from kidnapping if you’re a business executive. Yet the depth in the information seems to have been compromised. Aviv might have done better to provide one book on family safety and one geared to the business community.
That said, Aviv reminds us that, although terrorists can strike anywhere, our choices can play a role in our safety. After the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center showed occupants that the building was a potential target, he notes, a lot of people probably left jobs or simply never applied for future openings at the towers.
A simple plan: “If you use a remote-control device to unlock your vehicle’s doors, set it so that it only opens the driver’s door. Carjackers have been known to enter vehicles when the passenger doors are opened remotely.”