Hi - I'm currently working on a book about personal protection based on my former career in the field, so I'll hope you'll give some thought to my reply.
You are very wise to be concerned about your safety, even if the odds end up being relatively small that you'd end up a crime victim, so kudos to you for paying attention. I mention odds, because I don't want to come off as one of those people who suggest that you are in constant danger and must hide under a rock or carry a shotgun at all times to be safe. But even if the odds were, say, 1 to 2% that you'd be attacked at some point (and I completely made that up), that's far too high to gamble with in my opinion. Because the outcome if you are attacked can be so devastating, it's not worth any unnecessary risk.
So yes, I think you should take all precautions to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Some ways you can avoid being the target of choice:
- Avoiding areas (and times) where you are vulnerable. In general, those areas are places like your neighborhood with a significant criminal element, and places that are good hunting grounds for criminal activity. That means places with some people around to serve as victims, but not too many to deter an attack (think parking garages, jogging trails, sparsely populated sidewalks and alleys, stairwells, etc.). If that means using a car service, then do it -- that's a small price to pay for your life.
- Maintaining heightened awareness whenever you are in a potentially dangerous place. Needless to say, this means no talking on the phone, listening to music with headphones, texting, fumbling in a purse, etc.
- Keeping anyone who is potentially threatening more than arms' length away from you at all times. Pay attention to your intuition, and don't be suckered into getting close. If someone persists in wanting to get close to you, tell them to stay away and maintain your distance (run if you must, and fight if you can't outrun them).
- Don't be alone, keep others with you in any potentially dangerous place.
- Maintain a confident attitude, and let others know you are aware of their presence around you. So, you don't avoid eye contact with potential bad guys, you give them a quick, confident but non-threatening glance with just a moment of eye contact that says "I see you there," and then confidently go about your business.
- Always try to have a safe exit or safe place available. Avoid being anywhere that you can't get to safety before an attacker can overwhelm you. As a really simplified example, if a bad guy is 50 yards from you and coming after you, you're in good shape if the police station is 25 yards away the other direction.
- Avoid things that invite unwanted attention: wearing expensive jewelry, expensive or provocative clothing, purses, carrying expensive iThings, being overtly drunk and laughing loudly with girlfriends on the streets, etc.
- Consider taking some self-defense courses
and carrying a small and easy-to-use weapon like a kubotan (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubotan) or a collapsible baton. Keep the weapon discreetly in your hand when you are in dangerous areas.
By the way, I think the decision about driving vs. taking Uber is mostly (but not completely) irrelevant. Both are undoubtedly safer than walking, so they are both good choices. But you still face danger getting to and from the car, into the car, and from your car to your home, and 1000 other places. Bad guys target women heading to and from their cars, or getting into their cars. I'd like it if you make a habit of doing the things I listed above, then decisions about cars and everything else will become more apparent and second-nature.
