ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 1996 TAG: 9607030027
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
Susan Traxel believes Alicia Showalter Reynolds would be alive today if only they'd had the chance to talk.
Reynolds disappeared March 2 after witnesses said she got into a stranger's pickup truck alongside a Culpeper County highway. Authorities believe Reynolds may have stopped her own car after the pickup truck driver signaled to her. Her body was found about two months later.
Reynolds didn't need a weapon or a black-belt degree to stay safe, Traxel said. Women can be much less vulnerable to acts of violence merely by being cautious and aware.
That's the basic message Traxel conveys during lectures she offers to women titled, "Refuse To Be A Victim."
The program doesn't offer weapons training, physical self-defense techniques or advice to avoid spousal abuse. Instead, it's a series of strategies to keep women safer in their homes, in public and while they travel.
"It's all about taking charge of your life," Traxel said. She says her own life's experiences with domestic abuse and violence influenced her to be trained as a "Certified Personal Safety Instructor."
So far, Traxel has conducted four seminars on personal safety. They're designed for women only. "I tell them to think about safety ahead of time," she says. "Criminals prefer easy targets."
Instruction in the three-hour course ranges from personal and home security devices to common-sense behavioral techniques. She also introduces her students to Sam, an inflatable man that makes a good security companion for women driving alone.
The "Refuse To Be A Victim" program is sponsored by the National Rifle Association, an organization with strong supporters and detractors. Traxel says her course does not advocate the use of guns or membership in the National Rifle Association.
Women who do carry guns need to be fully trained both in handling the weapons and the laws that govern their use, she said.
Traxel plans to conduct two more personal safety seminars this month, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 16 at the Days Inn on Roanoke Street in Christiansburg, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 27 at the Roanoke Airport Days Inn.
Registration is $20 for individuals, $15 for groups. Senior citizen discounts are available. More information can be obtained by calling Traxel at 961-1776.
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