safety for women

[lady cop]

a thread by DG inspired this....i would like to talk about womens' safety. from rapists, from muggers, from carjackers. first thing....walk TALL and confidently! don't look like victim material. look people in the eye. don't carry any weapon that can be taken from you and used against you. don't buy that crap walmart pepper-spray. it's totally ineffectual. keep the car doors locked when you are driving. do NOT pick up even the most innocuous looking hitch -hiker! hold your purse close inside your body.( i won't even carry one.) don't leave it in shopping carts.

[RedGlitter]

Thank you, LadyCop for such important info!
I um....have that pepper spray you speak of....I got mine off eBay. Is there a spray that does work?
I have read that if followed or someone is too close too you for your comfort, you should address them so they know you're aware of them. Is this correct?

[Peg]

I'd like to add, have your keys out before you head out to the car so you aren't fumbling for them, be aware of your surroundings, and do not get distracted.

[lady cop]

Originally Posted by RedGlitter

Thank you, LadyCop for such important info!
I um....have that pepper spray you speak of....I got mine off eBay. Is there a spray that does work?
I have read that if followed or someone is too close too you for your comfort, you should address them so they know you're aware of them. Is this correct?

first...Peg is very right about having your keys in hand! ........most pepper spray sold to the public is not as good as LE issued and gives a false sense of security...i don't like it because it will just aggravate the assailant. as for addressing a person too close to your comfort zone, no, just go where there are other people. followed like in a car? drive to the nearest police station. in fact...if an unmarked police car tries to stop you, signal that you see them, and drive to a populated area, if it's a real cop they will understand!

[RedGlitter]

Thank you!

[lady cop]

another thing...if someone confronts you, SCREAM BLOODY MURDER! they will usually run like hell.

[beautyful]

Thanks for the advice Ladycop, sometimes I think I am a little careless when it comes to my own safety but then maybe I think oh it'll never happen to me! Thanks again!

[weeder]

When your out socializing.... never leave a glass untattended.

[Uncle Kram]

Lately, I've started to worry about this myself as my daughter is 14½. I think I'm going to find it hard to relax when she's out. I know she's got a life to live, but it's tough to let go of your protective instinct.

[spot]

I was stood, a couple of weeks ago, at the cross-roads by the marketplace in the centre of Beaconsfield, with a suitcase. Not having a detailed map, and being puzzled by contradictory street signs, I asked a passing pedestrian if she could point me toward the railway station. "I could", she said, "but it's a good quarter of an hour's walk... stay here while I get my car and I'll drop you there, it's on my way". And so she did, and it really was some way off. We discussed writers who had lived locally, she pointed out the house of G K Chesterton, and where Enid Blyton had lived before her house was demolished, and finally pulled into the station and delivered me to the ticket office. "Thank you very much", I said. "You're welcome", she said.

I suggest that "do NOT pick up even the most innocuous looking hitch-hiker" spreads fear beyond all reasonable boundaries. Either we live in a society or we live in a jungle. It's our own reactions to our surroundings that determine which it is, not the level of external threat. How do you reduce tension among your neighbours? By being neighbourly.