Self Defense

Elevator Safety

Katie was attending a meeting with a client at his office on the 12th floor of the new office building downtown. She had never been to his office before. She double-checked the directory to verify his floor on the way to the bank of elevators in the middle of the building. While she is waiting, she casually glances around to see who else is waiting. It’s one guy and she gets kind of a creepy feeling. Nothing particular, mind you, but something inside her says, “wait.” She turns away, pretending to forget something and lets him go up in the elevator alone. Was she wrong?

Elevators in a building are what I call “Marginal Areas.” These are transitional, somewhat isolated places that border busy, noisy, and more populated places. In and of themselves, marginal areas like the elevator are not dangerous. People in an elevator are there to do one specific thing: get to a higher or lower floor in the building. Since the elevator is not your prime destination, you may not always pay attention to what’s going on around there while you’re waiting. Your mind may be on your upcoming appointment or maybe you’re replaying something that happened before you got there.
You can imagine that the bad guy loves Marginal Areas like the elevator. He is on the lookout for a place where he can commit a crime quickly, quietly, and unseen, and this fits the bill. Plus, once the door opens, he can escape quickly and if his victim is quiet, unseen and quietly.

Any Marginal Area can be scary, but you can lower the freak-out factor if you know what to look for. First, ask is “what is normal here?” You know what’s normal here because you’ve used the elevator hundreds of times with no problem. People get in, look forward, then get off at their stop. Second, pay attention to anything abnormal, including the funny feeling that you may get from your intuition. The marginal area is only dangerous  if you notice something unusual going on. If you see or feel something that raises a red flag, keep your distance, get back to a more populated place, and if you see something untoward, let someone know what’s going on.

So, did Katie do the right thing? You bet. She stood back a bit from the elevator bank and paid attention to everyone who was there. Her intuition sent her a message and she listened to it, stepping away from the elevators so she didn’t have to ride up alone with a person she didn’t feel comfortable with. Was he a Bad Guy? We don’t know, but whatever delay she suffered by taking the next elevator was definitely worth it. You don’t have to ride in the elevator with anyone who makes you uncomfortable.

Where do you stand when you’re in the elevator? I always stand by the controls. If someone gets in and I don’t want to ride with them, I can just press the button for the next floor and exit to take another elevator. I’m close to the alarm, too. I’ve noticed that in many elevators the alarm button is located at the bottom of the panel, a location that’s easier to reach if I end up on the floor.

So, here's your plan for the next time you take the elevator:

  • Know where you’re going and double-check with the directory if you haven’t been there before.
  • Stand a bit back from the doors while you are waiting. This allows you to keep an eye on whoever else wants to use the elevator.
  • If you get the slightest "ick" feeling from anyone that might be riding up with you, stay out of that car. Fake a phone call or “forget” something you needed to do somewhere else if it makes you feel more comfortable. Take the next elevator up or down.
  • Stand by the control panel in the elevator. Get off at a floor that is not your destination if you are not comfortable. Take the next elevator up or down.


When you have a preventive plan, be aware and pay attention to your surroundings and listen to your intuition, you will live a safer life, including time spent in the elevator.

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