We hurry through our days intent on where we're going, where we have to be next and what else we have to get done. We effectively lose contact with what's happening around us. The criminal can see that you're in a hurry, that you're not paying attention, not looking around and, most of all, not expecting trouble. To the criminal, you're a prime target. You're everything he wants in a victim.
Victims are always targets first.
You have to learn how not to be a target. That way you probably won't react in a way that might be dangerous to him. However, if you are prepared, if you make a habit of planning against potential threats you are much less likely to attract trouble. You can deter crime simply by being an unattractive target. Criminals always prefer the easy mark.