Thread: Safety for ladies when walking or running.!

Originally Posted by Kitteh

This probs isnt helpful.. but i know when i walk alone at night.. i always have a mobile phone.. and i often (this is really lame.. and im embarassed to say).. but i have some deodorant or something with no top on so that if anyone attacked me.. i could spray it in their face.. that might actually be illegal though.. and get you into trouble..

i think it is illegal, BUT if you weren't raped, abducted or murdered... thats one less case on the polices hands so I doubt they'd really take it in too much. x

I would go one better and have an aerosol of paint, something bright and not easy to wash off.

Thanks for this, I got freaked out yeserday when I was walking to the gym there was a couple of drunk guys. One of them blocked my path, this was about 6pm and still bright out, I was on a busy road so didn't expect anything to happen. Think I will get a personal alarm off the internet.

A kid threw mud at me yesterday when I walked home from class ¬_¬ little brat lol

People are so mean, I swear if you retaliated they would soon call the police. The world is not a safe place sometimes.

All I can say is it was the most dodgy street in my area but I walk through it so I'm not intimadated xx

If you don't feel safe walking from your home, get a bus/drive to somewhere you do, I have to do this because my area's okay but the bits around it I don't feel safe on, end of, because they're too deserted. I bus past both ways and walk where it feels a lot more civilised and there are open shops + plenty of people around.

Also I highly recommend a book called the Gift Of Fear by Gavin de Becker, it's about knowing which of your feelings regarding personal safety to trust and a load of other stuff, if I try and sum it up I can't do it justice but trust me, it's worth reading, and Amazon usually have it for a few quid.

Afaik the law only take an interest when you carry something, including something very innocent, for the specific purposes of using it as an offensive weapon, so carrying a paint aerosol for example would be hard to explain (it's going to look like you're a graffitti artist!) but any items you'd normally carry with you, are okay to use offensively if you get assaulted. And what your actual intention was in carrying them, well, who's to say...

I remember reading a survey of convicted attackers and they mentioned that one thing they look for is grabbable hair, so a ponytail swishing along as you run might be a bit too inviting, you may do better to fix your hair in tight if it's long. It might be crazy but I have long blonde hair and feel safest walking with my hair up and tucked up in a cap, which basically hides that + my face from some angles, but doesn't cover my ears or impede my own hearing or peripheral vision. I don't carry a mobile in my hand, it's another thing to attract bad folks and yer average rapist isn't likely to let you make a phone call first, like the police do for people they arrest...

(Edit to add this mentions long hair + things rapists look for: http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...m_rapists.html ... and that most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, so bear that in mind if you meet someone you know along the way.)

It'sd good I know hardly anyone but you know, lately I found out my first boyfriend (over 4 -5 years ago) has just been put on the violent offenders/domestic abuse register. He was violent to me so wasn't so much of a surprise but at the time, he had many girlfriend around me, during our relationship also and he never hurt them so I became a 'liar' to people who knew him.

I went for a run last night but went with my boyfriend, I noticed a women walking down a alley with a very very small yorkie, someone on a bike andthat was about it for the place we run, we run where most people don't go because I'm insecure, I wouldn't run it alone.

I think women whould invest in a rape alarm. I'm going to get one, it'll come in handy if alone but also if someone attacked my boyfriend also. As we were coming back from walkign a dog (I walk dogs for elderly people) and my boyfriend ran with the dog back to the car and I was around 100 yards behind him and these two large lads came out of a side street, nudged each other and started walking toward my boyfriend, so I stamped my feet, one looked around and they edged back the other way... they had no reason to walk towards my boyfriend, as it was his car (quite a big expencive one) and then a school wall (no where to go).

I then had to walk in the same direction to take the dog back, was a bit unnerving, espcially since they just disappeared after they went round the corner! lol

Even though I got scared a few months back about this sort of stuff, I'm so aware of myself, everyone around me and my situation I doubt I'd be likely to be attacked, I've short hair too :P

I go running and I never used to fear the routes because where I live its quite and nothing bad ever really happened. After a few violent and deadly attacks in the area decided that I should be more careful but I have never found a decent personal alarm and my phone is a brick. I did however go get contact lenses and learn to use them as I used to run with no glasses but now I can see what is going on and who is there before I get right up to them. Also always run in bright pink and tell my route to my partner and rough time back.

The other tips were really good I will go looking for an alarm or whistle now thanks everyone

Lauren

My boyfriend told me if you're being attacked you should scream out "fire" because most people ignore cries of help or rape.

I don't know about the legality of your country, but you could look for a cue baton. The ones I've seen are a 5-6 inch metal rod, about the thickness of your thumb, with a pointy nub at the end. It's heavy, so you could throw it or hit someone, but the main use is to jab into the solar plexus. It's not (as far as I know) lethal, but it's definitely a deterrent. My husband had one and I attached it to my keys as I ran and kept it nearby.

You could always see if your police force do a course on self defence.. I remember when I used to go to college in a not so nice area the police came in an issued us all with personal attack alarms and showed us how to use our keys as a weapon should we need them... Our local police do it also they've given me loads of goodies to protect my house and a cute little personal attack alarm that goes on my keys and it's just a little heart and it was free! I used to be on the residents association so know there are these things available our whole estate got them