Each year 1,006,970 women are stalked in the U.S. along with 370,990 men. At some point in their life, one out of every 12 women and one out of every 45 men will be stalked.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers are high enough to worry me. It’s gotten to the point where driver’s ed teachers warn us to check the back seat of our cars before entering in case there are “unwanted passengers” there, and to lock our doors while we drive so that no one is able to get in.

What’s even scarier is that the majority of victims know their stalkers from previous encounters. The idea that someone you already know could turn out to be a stalker is frightening, especially if it was someone you trusted and never suspected.

It’s hard to imagine what it feels like to be stalked unless you yourself actually have been. Most people know the feeling they get when they think they’re being stalked. A car that follows you a little longer than you’d like, but then turns at the next street; the man who walks behind you a little farther than you’re used to. And then they’re gone, and you’re left to knock yourself on the head for being so paranoid.

So what happens when you’re sure you’re right: Someone is following you? When the feeling you get won’t go away?

Stalking has become such a broad ground with all the new technology. It’s no longer a creepy figure lurking in the bushes, or a strange letter you get without a return address. The biggest difference is the Internet.

More and more people now have access to online accounts, including stalkers. A large number of people are targeted online by stalkers. Maybe this is because it is easier to lie about who you are and your intention while online. There’s no trace of your voice, face, or name if you don’t want there to be. Stalking just keeps getting easier and easier.

While most people will never know what it’s like to be stalked, there is still a significant number of people who will. And I’m willing to bet you that they wouldn’t want to repeat that experience — that is if they got out of it alive.

Schools and other programs have picked up on educating people about stalking and what they can do if they ever find themselves in a situation with a stalker. It’s important to continue this education in the future, because even though security keeps getting better and better, with each new development there’s another new way for a stalker to find you.