In regards to the plate carrier, depending on what's along the route to get home, they may actually be prudent. I live on the north side of Houston and used to work exactly 50 miles away on the south side of the city. How to get home if a sudden SHTF situation was a MAJOR concern. Like most cities, there aren't a lot of straight-through options and those that are available go through high risk areas. A plate carrier probably wouldn't help much.
But circling the city would take me through somewhat less high-risk locations and a plate carrier could help through those. I seriously considered keeping a set in my vehicle but I just didn't have the money to buy it.
-Blast, now happily working from home