Summertime Personal Safety

Summer is a carefree time of year when most of us do our best to spend as much time outdoors as possible. It's not fun to have to spend time thinking about personal safety issues. This is one of the most important times of the year to be extra careful though. Unfortunately, many other people, and animals are also out and the possibility of crimes are on the rise this time of year.
Using some common sense and thinking about personal safety in advance will help lower your risks of becoming a crime statistic. You will be better equipped to deal with issues if they do occur, and you can have a better peace of mind. Here are some suggestions to help you create your own safety plan:

· Always trust your intuition. If going somewhere doesn't feel right, like walking into a dark parking lot alone, don't do it.

· Be aware of nearby people and vehicles. Try to park in an open area, away from vans or other possible areas where a crime might be more convenient to occur.

· If using headphones, let them hang around the neck. It's important to hear, as well as see, what's happening in the vicinity.

· Make sure you know where you are. If it's necessary to call for help, be able to relay an exact location by knowing the intersection or major landmark in order to assist help in getting to you quickly.

·Travel in groups. This is always a safer bet than being alone.

· Avoid isolated areas. Whether you are camping, hiking, or exploring a new area, stay in open, well-populated areas as much as possible.

· Always be observant, particularly of suspicious people. If someone becomes a crime victim, a good description will assist in identifying the attacker.

· If you become a crime victim, yell or scream. Do not risk injury by chasing or fighting an attacker.

· Have an avenue of escape in mind. If you are camping, run to the campground office. If you are site seeing, look for the nearest police officer.

· If a vehicle is involved in a crime, try to get the license plate number. It could prove important in assisting with an investigation.

· If jogging in dusk or dawn hours, wear bright clothing or a reflective vest. Stick to main roads.

· If bicycling, ride with traffic in the right lane and obey traffic laws. Invite a friend or go with a group if you are looking to cycle on desolate trails.

· Carry a cell phone with you to make emergency calls if you need to.

· Let someone know where you'll be and what time you will be back. That way if you end up missing, someone will know to alert the authorities.

You might decide to carry personal protection or other survival tools with you. These kind of items can come in handy in defending yourself against animals or people. Here are a few items that you might want to consider:

· Mace Canine Repellent. Contains 0.35% Capaicin. About 10 one second bursts. Effective range 10-12 feet. Built-in belt clip and keychain.

· Sabre Pepper Spray. Red pepper defense spray and marking dye. 0.79 oz. spray. Approx. 35 one second bursts. Special ballistic stream reduces wind blowback. This pepper spray is available with a variety of different holders making it convenient for joggers, or cyclists to carry with them.

· Carry a whistle to make a loud noise in an emergency. The noise will also help to scare some animals off.

· MayDay Signaling Mirror. High impact plastic construction. Easy to use with one hand. Suns reflection can be seen for many miles. Floats if accidentally dropped in water.

· A First Aid kit. Any sort will do. You might want to make sure there are outdoor specific aids, such as bee sting kits, or sun burn gel.

· If you are camping or hiking, a SAS Combat Survival Tin is an excellent piece of equipment. This was originally designed for the British SAS (Special Air Service). Contents include compass, whistle, candle, fishing kit, waterproof survival instructions, 25 wind and waterproof matches, pencil, sewing kit, multi use flexible wire saw with split rings (can be used as a bow saw or snare wire), water tablets, safety pins, fire lighting flint and striker and multifunctional knife with fold out scissors.

A little advance planning will help you stay prepared for any summer events. Stay safe and make it a great summer!