Being followed, whether on foot or in the car, can be a very frightening situation to endure. You may think that it would be silly for someone to follow you because you’re an average person with no celebrity or millionaire status, but the truth is, average people are followed for various reasons all the time.

If you’re being followed by a road rager for accidentally cutting them off a few miles back, it will likely be easy to tell. However, if someone is truly attempting to stalk you, they may drive past you occasionally, then change lanes and fall behind you.

A good way to verify that someone is following you on a multi-lane road is by slowing down and moving over to the right lane. Start driving the speed limit, and see if the car behind you continues to follow you.

If you are driving on the highway, take an exit, and then immediately get back on the highway. If the car is still behind you, there’s a good chance you’re being followed.

If you’re still being followed, someone may be stalking you. It’s not a good idea to start speeding, try to make sudden turns, or hide in alleyways.

Remain calm and follow the steps below. If you believe you are in danger, it’s in your best interest to call the police right away and alert them of the situation.

If another law enforcement agency is following you, the local police may pull them over. If a personal investigator, road-rager, or someone else is following you, the police will be the best people to handle the situation.

Go to a crowded restaurant or coffee shop and take a seat. Go to a shopping mall or big box store.

Perhaps the best public place to go in a situation like this is to the nearest police station. Park right up front and walk straight into the station.

If driving to a crowded public place is not a readily available option, be sure you don’t go straight home, especially if you think your stalker intends to harm you. Take various routes home from day to day, if possible.

Some people may recommend that you follow your follower, but this is not necessarily the best action to take. If the person following you intends to harm you, the last thing you want to do is follow them.

If you’ve been involved in an injury-sustaining accident as a result of an attempt to flee a stalker, or for any other reason for that matter, you may be entitled to compensation. Our team has helped many other people recover the compensation they deserved, and we may be able to help you, too.

I’ve lived in New York for more than a decade, and during a recent visit to Japan in April 2023 I saw three major differences in how public spaces are used to the best of their potential in Tokyo. When I came back to New York City, and people asked me about some of my favorite things from the trip, I said the trains, pedestrian safety, and the bathrooms.

In New York City, even if public areas such as parks or subway stations have restrooms, they aren’t always open, whether because of limited hours of operation or issues of disrepair. My experience finding accessible restrooms in Tokyo was different from that in New York City.

Every bathroom was clean, and there were never any lines. The stalls in some restrooms even had booster-like seats available for mothers to place their toddlers while using the facilities.

In Tokyo, I was in awe of the Shibuya Crossing, which is known as the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Traffic stopped in all directions so pedestrians could cross everywhere.

In New York City, pedestrian fatalities are an unfortunate reality despite the Vision Zero initiative that the city began in 2014 to try to prevent them. In 2021 in Japan, 3,000 people died in crashes, compared with 43,000 in the US, according to Bloomberg.

One major safety hazard for pedestrians is that even when pedestrians have the right-of-way, traffic isn’t stopped in all directions. drivers are still technically allowed to make turns at some intersections.

Japan has more than 300 intersections with scramble crossings, or Barnes Dance, the best known being the Shibuya station in Tokyo. Timely public transit is also often lacking in New York City.

Train, subway and bus delays happen so much that a verification-letter request from the MTA is available for workers who are late because of these disruptions, and it is often joked about as being necessary. These delays can cause a lot of stress for New Yorkers.

In fact, when a train once left 25 seconds early, an apology was issued. The trains are also pristine, and I never saw any stray litter.

While no place is perfect, it is important to look at the positive aspects of other cities to see what lessons can be implemented.