College campus crimes are not an uncommon thing. Young girls walking to cars on late nights seem to be a vulnerable and easy target for attacks. With the days getting dark earlier and a recent cautionary tale here at UCF, here are a few safety tips for any collegiette to use to avoid any such situation:
1. Be Aware Of Your Surroundings:
Try not to check the latest post on twitter, or see how many likes you’ve gotten on that instagram post while walking to your car at night. Keep your eyes peeled for unfamiliar sights or sounds.
2. Keep Your Key In Your Hand:
It may sound a bit gruesome, but if someone was charging at you, something as simple as a key in the eye can stop an attack right away. Those cute little pink mace bottles also work great! Any Wal-Mart type place is bound to carry them.
3. Walk With a Friend:
There is nothing more powerful than two girls walking side by side, and to an attacker, this rings true. Make sure you always have someone to walk with you to your car, a late night class or parking garage.
4. Don’t Sit In Your Car:
After piling your masses of belongings into the car, don’t just sit in the parking lot while you gather the strength to get to your next destination. An attacker could easily enter the car or force the door open.
5. Take a Self-Defense Class:
Many universities including UCF offer a woman’s self defense class for credit. Taking a fun elective like this would not only boost your GPA but also teach you some tricks to offset an attacker.
6. Attract Attention:
Do anything to make people look. Scream, yell, and even crash your car into something stationary if there’s an attacker holding you at gunpoint in the passenger seat. Doing these things to alert people of trouble will force an attacker to retreat.
7. Be Confident:
Walk straight with your head held high. This level of alertness and assertive body language is likely to convince an attacker that you’re not an easy target.
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Too Cautious:
Its not embarrassing if you make that guy in your algebra II class who breathes really loud, walk you to the car if you’re by yourself. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and if you can do anything to avoid an incident, do so.