Safety Tips for Women

As a woman, we have many possible functions in society: bread-winner, homemaker, mother, wife, nurse and so on, but the one thing that never changes is that we are depended upon by our loved ones and those most important in our lives. It is taken for granted that when we go out to pick up the dry cleaning, to the grocery store, or to drop the kids off at a friend's house that we will be returning home safely. But do we actually go to lengths to ensure our own safety like we would with those that depend on us? Most if the time, we are so busy thinking of everyone else, we tend to neglect ourselves and our own well-being and safety. There have been many situations where I have not felt safe when going to my car at night or even pumping gas alone. This has made me do as much research on methods to stay safe when traveling or going out alone. I don't like to, or even want to depend on someone else to keep me safe, so a little life lesson and research has made a big difference for me. Here are a few tips to remember that will help keep you safe on your outings.

Don't go anywhere alone especially at night, if you do, make sure you have your safety in mind. Have some sort of defense planned in case of a would-be attacker threatening your safety. If you go out at night or close to dark, then don't park in any unlit area; this will make it less noticeable if you are in distress and in need of help. Besides putting you in a vulnerable position to be attacked, parking in dimly lit places will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to tell who might be lurking in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to pass by.

When leaving the grocery store, or any store you are making a large purchase, use a cart to take your items to your vehicle, do not walk alone in a parking lot with your hands full. Some violent offenders sit and wait for this opportunity to take their victim by surprise this way. If you are a single mom, or just out with your child alone, don't compromise the safety of you both. Let someone help you take your things out to your car. While the kind employee is busy putting your store-bought items in the trunk, you can put your more precious cargo away safely in their seat. A prime target for some attackers is a mother alone with her children; they know that almost any mother would rather give up her purse or vehicle rather than risk the safety of her family.

If you are in any kind of accident, especially a minor one, do not pull over if you are alone and there is nowhere to pull over with adequate lighting, keep going until you find a safe place with a group or crowd of people. keep going until you can stop somewhere until you have reported the accident to the police on your cell phone. If you think you are being pulled over and notice anything at all unusual about the vehicle or person inside, the safest thing to do is to call the local police department and explain to them that you are being pulled over, but something doesn't seem safe to you. Tell them that you intend to pull over once you have reached a safe destination - either the police department or a police sub-station. Some attackers use this method of tricking a potential victim into an unsafe situation once they see a woman driving her vehicle alone. A situation like this actually occurred a few years back and when the woman called the police station she was told that the man driving the car was not a police man, but a criminal who has murdered other women in this fashion.

As a parent, it is your duty to keep your child safe, why not care for yourself the same way? You owe it to your family to return home safely from the grocery store or running daily errands, so be smart and never compromise your safety.