Would you risk offending someone for your safety?

For instance, if you were in a parking lot at night and alone, and a man walked past your car, would you lock the doors even though he’d hear it lock and risk offending a possibly good person, or would you threaten your safety to avoid that risk?
Or if you came out of a grocery store at night, and a group of men were near your car, would you go back inside and risk offending them (assuming they’ve seen you) or would you go to your car anyway?