by Janette Waldron

Created on: December 19, 2009

According to a survey carried out by Guardian Insurance, one in three women (30%) avoid driving alone at night due to personal safety fears. Add to this the fact that approximately one in five women ( 18%) state that they have been the victim of crime when they have been alone in their car. Unfortunately fears have escalated over the years and approximately 86% of women now feel less safe driving alone at night than they did just five years ago. In fact, two women in every three now fear for their personal safety. This is a high 65% of the female population.

As the years have passed the crime rate has increased dramatically and 53% of women state that they have felt frightened on at least one occasion while driving at night. But women aren’t just fearful of night driving, a myriad of women try to avoid driving alone in broad daylight. Personal safety attitudes certainly differ between men and women are more prone to thinking personal safety precautions while driving at night than men do. Yet there are a host of things to do to increase your personal safety at night that many women fail to even contemplate. So without further ado allow me to elaborate:

1) Notify other people of your intended journey at night and give them your expected time of arrival as well as cell phone number. Take a break every hour if you are travelling far and tell someone where you are at the present moment.

2) A friend of the author’s has invested in a store mannequin which she has dressed to look like a male. She sits him in the front passenger seat with a hat over his face making him look like a sleeping male passenger. As she travels she talks to “Travis.” This gives the impression that she is not a female driving a lone at night and makes her feel less vulnerable to danger. A life size blow up male doll may be the best investment you ever made.

3) Lock your car doors as soon as you enter the vehicle. Wind your windows up and keep them up when driving alone at night.

4) Stop for no one, don’t fall into the trap of giving a supposed injured person a lift. This could be a set up for rape and you could be the victim. On a number of occasions compassionate women have pulled over to give an injured person a lift and found that two or three men have been hiding in the bushes waiting for someone naïve enough to fall into their trap. If you feel that someone legitimately needs help ring 911.

5) Avoid eye contact with other drivers. Look straight ahead while

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>