Safety isn’t expensive, its priceless

How much value do you place on your personal safety?

After a number of incidents around the Southampton area in the last few weeks, I would urge you all to be taking care of your safety. If you ask somebody whether they should walk home alone in the dark, most people would say ‘of course not’….but there are always those times when you are caught in a situation that means walking home alone in the dark because you dont want to pay a few pounds for a taxi, or waiting for the bus will take longer than the walk home, or you fancy a walk to clear your head, or you always hate those awkward silences in the back of a taxi where you dont know whether you should talk incessantly because it seems more polite then sitting quietly….which seems rude and uppity.

The list could go on right?and on and on and on and on and on!

But listen to how ridiculous that list becomes when it compromises your safety, or even on an extreme level….your life.

So I thought I would provide you with a list of things that you just can’t turn down or override in favour of walking home alone and in the dark!

1. Personal Safety Alarms cost £1.50 and are sold in the Students’ Union Shop. Just ask at the counter if you can’t find them and they will be happy to help. These will make you feel much more secure, hold it as you walk home in the dark so that it is there ready for when you feel unsafe. They are really small and easy to use! They deter people who may be looking to attack you and will alert passers by should there be any trouble.
2. The Safety Bus runs everyday from 8pm and costs £1.50 to take you directly to your door. It even goes as far as Winchester! The drivers are all really friendly and who knows, you may even make a new friend out of another passenger! Why not grab a drink with a friend in the stags while you wait for the bus to make its first journey? It runs until late at night so that if you are frantically writing an essay in the library until midnight, you can still catch a lift home.
3. Walking home with a friend is so much better than being alone. You can have a good old catch up and be home before you know it!

Just a couple of other things….walk with purpose, don’t dawdle or take detours. Get home purposefully and sensibly using the well lit routes. Furthermore, do not walk alone with your headphones in. Save the tunes until you can have a good dance at home. With your headphones in you are far more vulnerable as you can not hear what is going on around you!

Above all, use common sense and dont override that common sense with excuses….there quite frankly isn’t a single one!