How to Stay Safe
Do not act like a victim., Be aware of your surroundings., Wear brightly colored or reflective clothing., Avoid walking in unlit areas, such as alleys or parks., Make sure someone knows where you are and what you are doing., Have emergency phone...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Do not act like a victim.
The perfect victim for predatory people is timid, weak, unobservant, willing to compromise him or herself to "do the right thing".
It is even easier to take advantage of such a person if they are alone, in an isolated place, or intoxicated.
Act confident.
Make appropriate eye contact with people in your surroundings.
Walk with purpose.
Be polite and helpful, but do not compromise yourself.
Sometimes predators will try to lure people by appealing to them for help.
For instance, if someone in a car asks for directions, by all means help them
- from a safe distance.
Do not come to the car window.
Be with friends or a crowd.
It is harder to commit a crime if people have someone with them.
Victims are easier to victimize if they are alone.
Even having other people nearby make it less likely a crime will occur. -
Step 2: Be aware of your surroundings.
You do not need to be obsessively vigilant on every little detail or go into paranoid fantasies.
However, being aware will keep you from accidents and show potential criminals that you are paying attention.
Avoid constantly texting, talking on your phone, or otherwise allow devices to make you oblivious to your surrounding.
Do not have your earbuds on blasting music.
Pay attention to the people who are around you.
If a drunk yelling obscenities down the street, you can notice him and avoid trouble. , While this may seem counterproductive
-- after all aren't you supposed to not draw attention to yourself?
-- it actually helps you out in a couple different ways.Be visible.
Brightly colored, reflective clothing and lights (such as a headlamp or bicycle lights) helps lessen the danger from car accidents.
Wearing dark clothes at night can make you practically invisible.
And traffic accidents are far more likely to happen than any crime.
It also can make you less of a target.
Bright colors have a correlation with confidence and it can make someone who was going to mess with you, less likely to do so, because you're so visible. , While unfortunate things can happen even in well-lit areas, someone can attack you much more easily in a darkened area and it will be much harder to get help should you need it.Stick to well-lit, public thoroughfares, roads, and paths for walking.
The more people around, the better. , If something happens to you, you definitely want to have at least one person who knows what you were doing and where you were going.
If you have to walk somewhere at night, make sure that a friend or trusted person knows the route that you took.
This way if something does happen to you they know where to start looking. , In this day and age your phone contains so much information that it's tempting not to memorize any of those numbers.
You need to make a contingency plan in case you lose your cell phone, it gets stolen, or it runs out of batteries.
Along with the obvious emergency numbers (like the police or fire department) you should have a friend or two that you can call if you run into difficulty.
If you can, try to have these numbers be people who live in your area.
While it can be tempting to call mom, she might live thousands of miles away and not be able to help you out at all. , if you're going out at night, especially if you're going out clubbing or drinking, try to go with your friends.
Make a plan before going out at night designating who is buddied up with whom.
This way you'll only have to keep track of one other person and you'll know that someone is looking out for you, too.
If there is a designated driver, have them be in charge of making sure that all the friends are okay.
You should also make sure that they get everyone's keys, so no one else tries to leave without them. , If you have to go to the bathroom, go outside for a smoke, or something, and you haven't finished your drink, leave it with a trusted friend.
You can't tell if someone has tampered with your drink (like if it has been roofied).
Just remember that even if someone does tamper your drink, it isn't your fault.
It's the fault of the person who tampered the drink. , Whether it's cab fare to get you back home, or it's money for the bus or subway, make sure that you always have the right amount to get you back from wherever you are.
Keep your backup money separate from the money you’re spending at night.
This way you won't decide to spend your money on the night out, rather than on getting home.
This is important even if you're just coming back from work at night.
If something makes you uncomfortable or nervous you want to have enough money to get yourself out of the situation by taking a cab or bus, if you need to. , If you're out late and you need to catch a bus, or subway make sure that you know when the last one leaves.
This way if you do miss it you don't have to wait around at the bus stop or tube station. try to have a backup plan for if you do get stranded.
Keep the number of a local cab company with you, or have a friend that you can call if you need to.
If you do take a bus late at night, sit near the driver.
It's much more likely that you'll be robbed or harassed if you sit in the back of the bus than if you sit near the driver. -
Step 3: Wear brightly colored or reflective clothing.
-
Step 4: Avoid walking in unlit areas
-
Step 5: such as alleys or parks.
-
Step 6: Make sure someone knows where you are and what you are doing.
-
Step 7: Have emergency phone numbers memorized.
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Step 8: Follow the buddy system.
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Step 9: If you’re drinking
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Step 10: keep track of your drink.
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Step 11: try to always have money for transportation.
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Step 12: Know when the last bus leaves.
Detailed Guide
The perfect victim for predatory people is timid, weak, unobservant, willing to compromise him or herself to "do the right thing".
It is even easier to take advantage of such a person if they are alone, in an isolated place, or intoxicated.
Act confident.
Make appropriate eye contact with people in your surroundings.
Walk with purpose.
Be polite and helpful, but do not compromise yourself.
Sometimes predators will try to lure people by appealing to them for help.
For instance, if someone in a car asks for directions, by all means help them
- from a safe distance.
Do not come to the car window.
Be with friends or a crowd.
It is harder to commit a crime if people have someone with them.
Victims are easier to victimize if they are alone.
Even having other people nearby make it less likely a crime will occur.
You do not need to be obsessively vigilant on every little detail or go into paranoid fantasies.
However, being aware will keep you from accidents and show potential criminals that you are paying attention.
Avoid constantly texting, talking on your phone, or otherwise allow devices to make you oblivious to your surrounding.
Do not have your earbuds on blasting music.
Pay attention to the people who are around you.
If a drunk yelling obscenities down the street, you can notice him and avoid trouble. , While this may seem counterproductive
-- after all aren't you supposed to not draw attention to yourself?
-- it actually helps you out in a couple different ways.Be visible.
Brightly colored, reflective clothing and lights (such as a headlamp or bicycle lights) helps lessen the danger from car accidents.
Wearing dark clothes at night can make you practically invisible.
And traffic accidents are far more likely to happen than any crime.
It also can make you less of a target.
Bright colors have a correlation with confidence and it can make someone who was going to mess with you, less likely to do so, because you're so visible. , While unfortunate things can happen even in well-lit areas, someone can attack you much more easily in a darkened area and it will be much harder to get help should you need it.Stick to well-lit, public thoroughfares, roads, and paths for walking.
The more people around, the better. , If something happens to you, you definitely want to have at least one person who knows what you were doing and where you were going.
If you have to walk somewhere at night, make sure that a friend or trusted person knows the route that you took.
This way if something does happen to you they know where to start looking. , In this day and age your phone contains so much information that it's tempting not to memorize any of those numbers.
You need to make a contingency plan in case you lose your cell phone, it gets stolen, or it runs out of batteries.
Along with the obvious emergency numbers (like the police or fire department) you should have a friend or two that you can call if you run into difficulty.
If you can, try to have these numbers be people who live in your area.
While it can be tempting to call mom, she might live thousands of miles away and not be able to help you out at all. , if you're going out at night, especially if you're going out clubbing or drinking, try to go with your friends.
Make a plan before going out at night designating who is buddied up with whom.
This way you'll only have to keep track of one other person and you'll know that someone is looking out for you, too.
If there is a designated driver, have them be in charge of making sure that all the friends are okay.
You should also make sure that they get everyone's keys, so no one else tries to leave without them. , If you have to go to the bathroom, go outside for a smoke, or something, and you haven't finished your drink, leave it with a trusted friend.
You can't tell if someone has tampered with your drink (like if it has been roofied).
Just remember that even if someone does tamper your drink, it isn't your fault.
It's the fault of the person who tampered the drink. , Whether it's cab fare to get you back home, or it's money for the bus or subway, make sure that you always have the right amount to get you back from wherever you are.
Keep your backup money separate from the money you’re spending at night.
This way you won't decide to spend your money on the night out, rather than on getting home.
This is important even if you're just coming back from work at night.
If something makes you uncomfortable or nervous you want to have enough money to get yourself out of the situation by taking a cab or bus, if you need to. , If you're out late and you need to catch a bus, or subway make sure that you know when the last one leaves.
This way if you do miss it you don't have to wait around at the bus stop or tube station. try to have a backup plan for if you do get stranded.
Keep the number of a local cab company with you, or have a friend that you can call if you need to.
If you do take a bus late at night, sit near the driver.
It's much more likely that you'll be robbed or harassed if you sit in the back of the bus than if you sit near the driver.
About the Author
Maria Coleman
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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