Woman Reveals Why the ‘Ted Bundy Rule’ Is So Important in Public

A California resident known online for her self-defense tips for women has shared with Newsweek why her “Ted Bundy rule” is so important and how it helped one of her grateful followers.

In a video on her TikTok @the.self.defense.girl, Katie Ring shared a recent encounter by a woman who was approached by a man late at night in a supermarket parking lot. The man, who was on crutches, asked her to help him carry his groceries to his car.

However, remembering Ring’s Ted Bundy rule, the follower hesitated. She questioned why the man would ask her, a woman alone in a dimly lit parking lot, instead of seeking help from a male employee who was nearby.

In her previous video, Ring had explained the rule that men in trouble are most likely to approach other men for help. Because of this, she advised caution if a man ever asked for help from a lone woman.

“This is important because dangerous people use this tactic to lure victims into compromising situations—one of the most famous being Ted Bundy,” Ring told Newsweek.

“He would pretend to be injured and ask women for help out to his car where he would attack, kidnap, and kill them. Do I believe all men who ask for help have bad intentions? No. But unfortunately, there have been enough cases that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Described as intelligent and charming, Bundy used his good looks to attract victims before sexually assaulting and killing at least 36 women across Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Florida between 1974 and 1978. Some have estimated he could be responsible for hundreds of deaths.

Bundy was sentenced to death in 1979 for the murder of two college students and again for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. He was executed in Florida by electric chair in 1989.

According to a 2019 study on sexual assault by Stop Street Harassment and the University of California San Diego Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), 81 percent of U.S. women said they have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault.

While a survey commissioned for the U.S. index by YouGov and PerryUndem in 2020 found that 46 percent of women report feeling unsafe sometimes or often in their daily life because of their gender. This rate increased to 53 percent for Black women and 59 percent for Latinas.

After the car park encounter, Ring’s follower thanked her for previous videos that reminded her to be cautious. “I receive messages from followers thanking me for potentially saving their lives,” Ring said. “It’s emotional every time because my goal has always been to help people.”

Ring’s journey into advocacy stems from a deep-seated frustration with the lack of protection for women in her city. “I started this page after multiple women were attacked in San Francisco,” she explained. “If our city isn’t going to protect us, then I will try my best to educate as many women as possible.”

In comments, people shared their reactions and experiences: “The thing is, if he had no bad intentions and is a nice guy he won’t mind you saying no. If he gets angry, he wasn’t a good guy,” said one commenter.

While another TikToker wrote: “It’s sad that it’s come to this. But in a pit of snakes, it’s safer to assume they’re all venomous rather than hoping there’s a few safe ones!”