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Police Services/Public Safety
Police Services/Public Safety
Safety Tips
Tips While Walking
Avoid traveling alone at night.
Confine walking to well-lit, regular traveled walks and pathways. Avoid shortcuts
and keep away from shrubbery, bushes, alleyways, or any other areas where an assailant
might be lurking.
Avoid isolated areas after dark.
Do not accept rides from casual acquaintances.
When walking to your vehicle, have your keys ready in hand.
When being dropped off by taxi or private vehicle, ask the driver to wait until you
get inside.
If threatened by an approaching vehicle, run in the opposite direction. The vehicle
will have to turn around in order to pursue you.
When getting out of a car, take a look around to make sure that you are not being
followed.
If you think you are being followed, cross the street and, if necessary, keep crossing
back and forth. If you are pursued, call for help and run to a campus building, business,
residence, enlist the aid of a passerby, flag down a passing motorist, or as a last
resort pull a fire alarm. Do anything that might attract attention or summon assistance.
If you are walking alone and someone passes you, check to be sure that person has
continued walking in the other direction.
Call the Police Services/Public Safety office for an escort if walking alone at night.
If you find yourself confronted by an assailant you must remember that while screaming
and struggling may in some instances frighten off the assailant, in other instances
you may further antagonize the assailant and bring forth a more violent reaction.
Above all you must keep your head and assess the situation before choosing your course
of action. Whether or not the assailant is armed or has made threats against your
life should be a determining factor in your decision. The key word in this type of
situation is survival.
