Lucy Tombs
The events of the past few weeks have resulted in many women feeling increased anxiety surrounding their personal safety. Whether this be walking on your own at night or strolling to the supermarket in the middle of the day, most people have felt doubts about if they will make it to their destination.
Many want to increase their defence mechanisms
No one should have to feel this way and whilst the real solution should be to teach men and boys to respect women and not harm them, many want to increase their defence mechanisms. Thanks to modern day technology, one way in which you can stay safe on your travels is by installing personal safety apps. These can vary hugely and sometimes it is hard to know what the best app is for you. Therefore, I have compiled a list of some excellent personal safety apps that you can download today.
- Hollie Guard
HollieGuard takes your safety seriously and has a variety of features to make sure you get home safely. It has a journey feature that enables you to set your start and end destination, and set a timer, before you set off on your walk. If you do not reach you destination within set time parameters, then it will trigger an alert and notify your emergency contacts. It also has report features which enable you to quickly and easily report any incidents with photo evidence.
- Life360
Life360 is a family-focused safety service, used by over 25 million members worldwide. This app allows users to create an invite-only family circle of people you trust, who you can then share your locations with throughout the day. This app also has driving safety features which gives your family a snapshot of your weekly driving habits so they can check that you stay safe on the roads.
The Walksafe map visualises crime reports in your area
- WalkSafe
This app has been subject to some concern over the past week for how it shares your data, however, any claims that the app is not safe to use have been disproved. The WalkSafe map visualises crime reports in your area and is updated weekly to help users see where serious crimes have been committed. This therefore allows users to avoid risky routes and plan safe ones. It also has a TapSafe feature that allows you to send out emergency messages to your loved ones.
- Kitestring
The beauty of this app is that you don’t have to have a smartphone to download it. Once you have signed up, you can simply text Kitestring a time and at that allocated time they will send a check in text. All you have to do is text them back to let them know you are okay. If you don’t send them a text, then they will send an alert to your allocated emergency contact.
- One Scream
One Scream is a voice-activated app which is designed for moments of immediate danger or distress when you would scream. When the app is on and detects a scream, it activates an alarm which includes a loud siren, vibrations and flashing lights. You can cancel the alarm if need be, but after 20 seconds the app will alert your chosen contacts.
I hope there will be a future where we do not have to have these safety apps
All of these apps are great options for anyone who wishes to feel and be safer on their travels. I hope that there will be a future where we do not have to have these safety apps, and that we can all feel confident that those around us mean us to harm. However, until that time comes, it is important keep your loved ones informed of your safety and to protect yourself.
Lucy Tombs
Featured image courtesy of Tom PREGEANT via Unsplash. Image license found here. In-article images courtesy of Charlotte Smith. No changes were made to the images.
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