We all try to pick up new habits to better ourselves. More often than not, we jump straight to eating healthier, exercising more, cutting back on caffeine, and so on. These are excellent habits to start, but as well as becoming a healthier person, why not become a safer one, too?
Whether you notice them or not, you already have safety habits instilled in your day-to-day life. It could be anything from checking your door is locked when you leave your house to texting a loved one when you get home. With 38% of young people in the UK worried about being victims of crime, it’s no surprise.
Here, we’re sharing four easy-to-implement safety habits to help you reduce risk to your home, your belongings, and most importantly, to yourself this summer. Try them and let us know how they make you feel.
Lock up and be secure
We’re sure locking up is already on your radar, but you’d be surprised – 70% of us forget whether or not we’ve locked our doors. So, double-check when you leave your home or when you lock up at night.
Travelling this summer? When you’re not home, make it look as though you are. Keep some lights on, have a car in the driveway if possible, or close curtains on the ground floor so nobody can see inside. The perception of you being there can act as a deterrent to potential thieves.
Being secure applies to your home, your vehicle, and even to your tech. Online safety is a whole other ballgame (more on that soon, watch this space!), but our top tip is to ensure that your accounts and devices are locked and secure. Choose unpredictable, secure passwords, and change them regularly. A password manager and vault app like Lastpass can help.
Turn your phone into a personal safety device
Your phone is an asset, so use it! With the help me Angela personal safety app, you’ll have a guardian angel in the palm of your hand – there when you need us and in the background when you don’t.
If you’re going on a journey that you’d like some extra reassurance on, our Follow Me feature is a great help. It will let your chosen guardian angels know where you are and when you arrive. If you ever feel worried or unsafe, simply press the ‘Help me’ button, and we’ll try to immediately contact you. Our team of personal safety specialists are here to help 24/7.
There are so many other features of the app that will help improve your personal safety – we can’t wait to tell you more. To see exclusive app previews, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. We post all sorts of content, from community support posts to personal safety tips.
Oh, are you rushing out of the door with 20% or less battery charge on your phone? We’ve been there. Another great habit to adopt is to make sure your phone is at least 50% charged when you head out, or you could keep a battery pack in your bag. More battery means more security. We recommend mophie’s portable chargers.
Be aware of your valuables and your surroundings, particularly when travelling
At help me Angela, we often say that awareness is your best defence. Wearing hoods and listening to loud music can decrease your awareness. So, listen with one earphone instead of two, and don’t put your hood up. Swaps like this will soon become habitual.
Our Chief Ambassador and former Metropolitan Police officer, Michelle Roycroft, always says, “property can be replaced, you can’t”. If someone tries to steal your belongings, don’t resist. Throw your belongings on the floor and run away in the opposite direction. Nothing you have in your bag or home is more valuable than your own life – even a sentimental item. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to keep your belongings safer.
Keep your credit cards, keys, and phone in separate pockets, particularly when travelling. Keeping them all in the same place means a thief can grab your coat or bag and have access to everything. And, if your driver’s license and keys are together, someone could easily have access to your home.
Speak up, feeling unsafe isn’t normal
74% of women feel unsafe when walking alone in their local area at night. Whilst lower for men, 44% feel the same. These figures, sadly, aren’t surprising. Feeling unsafe is increasingly becoming normal. We, as a society, almost view feeling safe and secure as unusual. It’s time that changed.
If you feel worried or unsafe, speak up. Talk to your friends or family about it and take ownership of your fear. The more we talk about it, the more we smash the stigma surrounding personal safety. And, there’s a lot of reassurance knowing that someone feels similarly to you. If you feel comfortable sharing your story, join our social media movement and tell us what it means to you to #livesafer.
Your safety is so important, but that doesn’t mean you should have to worry about it. Or that you have to go through it alone. Adopting our safety habits will make personal safety measures a subconscious action. And, with the help me Angela app, all you need to remember is to press the ‘Help me’ button on the app when you feel unsafe. We’ve got you.
Key takeaways
- Being secure applies to your home, your vehicle, and even to your tech. Make sure your doors are locked and your passwords are secure. A password manager and vault app like Lastpass can help.
- Your phone is an asset, so use it! With the help me Angela personal safety app, you’ll have a guardian angel in the palm of your hand – there when you need us and in the background when you don’t.
- Keep your credit cards, keys, and phone in separate pockets, particularly when travelling. Keeping them all in the same place means a thief can grab your coat or bag and have access to everything. And, if your driver’s license and keys are together, someone could easily have access to your home.
- If you feel worried or unsafe, speak up. Talk to your friends or family about it and take ownership of your fear. The more we talk about it, the more we smash the stigma surrounding personal safety.