On the subject of “How to survive a Terminator Attack”:

I realized when listening to Pete’s strategy of putting distance between you and your pursuing terminator that in all 3 movies, the protagonists allow themselves to enter enclosed surroundings while being chased in the movies’ finales:

Terminator 1: after the Terminator rises out of the flaming wreck of the truck, the injured Sarah and Kyle head straight for the door to the factory. Maybe they decided they were too banged up to run?

Terminator 2: in the climactic chase scene, Arnold distinctly directs John to “take the offramp,” which eventually leads them to being backed up in the steel factory.

Terminator 3: John and Kate Brewster, while trying to enter the Crystal City bunker, are caught between the cumbersome blast door and the entrance to the base, which conveniently gets blocked by helicopter wreckage and Terminator.

Each time, they make what seems like a bad choice to back themselves into a corner, but like Matt says, they generally find the means to destroy their pursuing terminator in said corner.

BUT it’s shown time and time again that if you outrun a terminator and give it no way to “reacquire” you, you should be pretty safe. Only tactical errors like calling your mom or trying to blow up Cyberdyne will get the Terminator back on your trail. At which point, I guess your only option is to back yourself into a carefully chosen corner where you can take out the Terminator.