Many years ago I learned this one the hard way.  As you walk down the street, get into an elevator, get on the subway or a bus, don’t walk between a group.  This means you actually have to keep your eyes open and your brain switched on.  Are those 3 or 4 people standing or walking towards you a group?  Or, are they just people who don’t know each other?  How do they interact with each other?  Are they talking together?  What’s their body language?  If you aren’t sure, assume they are a group.

Why not walk between a group?  Because you don’t know what their dynamic is.  They could be predators and you just walked in where you can be attacked from all sides.  They could be arguing and you could get caught in the middle.  God knows, innocent bystanders get shot all the time when arguments flare up–just read the Washington Post.

So if you see a group, don’t walk through it–walk around, even if it means walking into the street.