Personal Safety

Tips for Ensuring Your Personal Safety

• Always be aware of your surroundings–especially at night.
• When parking, walking or returning to your car, remain in well-lit and populated areas.
• Wear sneakers if possible for extra mobility.
• Be watchful of who is out there and what is going on. Keep your head up. Make quick eye contact with those around you and be observant of passing vehicles.
• Do not become distracted by talking on a cell phone or listening to an iPod or similar device.
• Avoid walking alone late at night. Attempt to walk with people that you are familiar with.
• Keep a whistle within reach. If you feel threatened, use the whistle to signal to residents that you need assistance. Yelling Fire! Help! and/or Rape! as you are being assaulted also signals people to assist you.
• Hold your car keys in your hand to use as a weapon against an attacker.
• Carry a cell phone with you.
• Call ahead to your destination to let them know that you are on your way. Make sure they expect you at a certain time, so that they may look out for you upon your arrival or will know to look for you if you do not arrive.
• Walk with confidence.
• Be assertive do not let anyone violate your space. Trust your instincts. Accept the fact anyone can be a victim of crime do not simply assume “It will never happen to me.”
• Believe that if an unarmed attacker confronts you, you may be able to scare, distract, or even incapacitate the person enough to escape.
• If you think that someone is following you, switch direction or cross the street. Walk toward an open store, restaurant or lighted house.