Safety Tips For Single Women Who Live Alone

Safety Tips For Single Women Who Live Alone

Living alone is a luxury and a freedom that many women enjoy. Women who live alone need to follow safety rules in order to ensure that they lessen their risk of becoming a victim of crime. Here are a few tips for single women who live alone.

1- Don’t assume that because it is your neighborhood that you are safe in it. Too many people today tend to “mind their own business” and this happens in almost every neighborhood. No matter where you live, coming home alone late at night can be dangerous and you need to be aware of your surroundings. One of the ways to be safer in your own neighborhood is to take precautions against being a victim of crime.

Keep your wits about you when you return home. Observe any strange cars in your neighborhood and pay attention. If approached by a stranger at night (or day) do not offer up information about where you live, your name or any details about your life no matter how “nice” the stranger seems.

Avoid coming home with your arms full of groceries or laundry. Be ready in case someone is hiding and waiting to take advantage of you. Have pepper spray on your keychain is good protection against muggers. Never be afraid to use it on someone that you do not know who is a threat.

2- Keep in touch with family and friends and if you plan on going out of town, let someone know where you will be and when you will return. If something was to happen, your family would be clueless if they didn’t know of your plans. Many abductions happen to women who live alone. Sometimes they are a random victim of crime and other times their assailant is someone they know like a former boyfriend or someone they had rejected.

3- If you have had problems with an abusive boyfriend or someone who just won’t take “no” as an answer, protect yourself by letting a friend know about your troubles. Go to the authorities and report the abuse. There is help for abused women and doing nothing will increase your risk for becoming a victim of crime.

4- If you use social network sites like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, be careful of how much information you share. Posting statuses about what you are doing or where you are going can set you up to be a victim. Even with an account that is set to private does not mean that you are safe. If someone wants to find out about your comings and goings, it isn’t hard to use social networking to figure things out.

5- Watch your party lifestyle. Going out with friends and coming home late feeling “good” means that you may not be as aware of your surroundings as when you are sober. You are putting yourself at risk. Have someone drop you off or take a cab home. Never invite someone you just met to come home with you. Even if nothing happens, he now knows where you live and if you do not want to see him again, this could become a problem.

6- Do not list your name on your mailbox as Jane Smith. Instead list it as J.Smith. Your friends know where you live, advertising that you are a single woman living alone can make you a target.

7- Make sure that you keep your doors locked and if you do not have a deadbolt lock on your door, either have your landlord install one or call a locksmith. Check your locks on your windows especially if you live on the ground floor or basement.

8- Also be careful about how much information you give to people that you meet online. If you have been communicating with someone out-of-state that you have never met, be wary of them and hold back from sharing too many details about your living situation. People can easily make believe that they are someone they are not. Don’t be so desperate for companionship that you trust too easily.

You do not need to live your life in fear but you need to live your life safely. Staying aware of your surroundings and taking precautions to ensure your safety is important for single women who live alone.

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