Todd Paris, Staff Writer and Salisbury Attorney
♦ Practical Tips for Charlotte Car Commuters
If you have to go to Charlotte to work, take 29 or 49, avoid I-85 and 285. Get out of there by dark if you can. Avoid uptown if you can.
Study the RFP’s Castle Doctrine made simple in NC (below) you can probably shoot someone trying to break into your car while you are in it.
If you can’t stand guns, get some OC spray. It kind of works and it’s vegan.
Your car is more powerful than any firearm, however don’t run over anyone unless they’re attempting to break into the car or extract you from the vehicle. No traffic right of way law in this state allows you to mow down pedestrian rioters.
Remember, most minor moving violation traffic laws may be violated in an emergency. If you have to cross a median or jump a curb to escape, do it.
Abandon the car as a last resort, but don’t feel you have to stay and protect it. It’s just a thing and most of us have comprehensive insurance.
Pack a “bug-out bag” – comfortable running shoes or hiking boots, seasonably appropriate clothes, defensive weapons, a stand alone charger for your phone, a little food, extra necessary prescription drugs and a space blanket. Google “bug-out bags” you will get many ideas on the web.
A paper map of Charlotte or the city you are in, just in case the cell phone system becomes overwhelmed. A cheap portable transistor radio may be a life saver.
If you have a firearm, extra ammo.
Some cash. Cards may be down.
Some safe drinking water.
Be alert. The modern smart phone is a wonderful device. Monitor “hot spots” and avoid them. Better to sneak in and out by 49 or 29 even if it take an extra 30 minute than get hurt or killed on a faster route.
If you commute into a large city, find coworkers that live in a safe area where they can let you crash for a few days. Visit there and mark their addresses on your paper map. Make sure friends and family have that address and number.
First aid kit for wounds and trauma.
Keep a full or almost full tank. You never know how long you might be trapped in a “riot-jam.”
Be under the radar. That Trump or NRA bumper sticker you so proudly sport of may focus crowd attention on you and your vehicle. You have a right to freedom of speech, yet you may have elevated consequences for its exercise.
N.C. Law for Defending Your Home, Vehicles, and Work Place: Castle Doctrine
