Protecting Yourself
Listed below are just a few helpful hints that will help to keep you safe:
- Stay alert to your surroundings.
- Avoid dark streets. Carry a flashlight with a strong battery.
- Avoid secluded areas.
- Don’t walk alone, if possible. Leave your workplace with other people, and check your vehicle for intruders before climbing inside.
- Don’t carry large sums of money and don’t ever count or show a roll of bills in public.
- If you think you are being followed, go to the nearest lighted house or business and call for help.
- Keep your car in good mechanical condition to avoid breaking down.
- Make sure the gas tank is filled.
- Avoid stopping to aid drivers who appear to have car trouble. Instead, report the trouble to the police and let them assist the driver.
- Carry a cellular phone so that you can call police for help if needed.
For Women
Women are often targeted as victims. The attacker generally looks for a vulnerable target in a dark or secluded area. Below are just a few recommendations to help you keep safe:
- Carry a shrill whistle or other noisemaker;
- Never walk alone or in the dark;
- Try to take different routes of travel to become unpredictable;
- Walk with your purse latched toward you not toward the street;
- Be able to describe your purse and its contents in detail;
- Remember – don’t be paranoid. Just be cautious!
Sexual Assault or Abuse
In the links to follow you will find many useful articles, statistics, facts and references, as well as techniques and strategies.
Date Rape
Acquaintance Rape
Sexual Assault Information Page
National Domestic Violence/Abuse Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
1-800-787-3224 TDD
