It may be your first instinct to lower your gaze as you walk to your destination. But looking straight into the face of potential enemies is the better option. "Eye contact may scare off attackers because they fear you will be able to identify them," says Mary Ellen Burns, a spokesperson for the Boston Police Department.
Regularly change your walking routine. Plan out a few different routes that you can take and mark out “safe houses" in your mind at intervals along the way. If you feel at risk of an attack, you can stop at these shops or homes where you know you will be safe.
"If there is one thing I could get every woman to carry, it would be the Defense Alert Device by Tigerlight." - Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, Lead Instructor of "Street Survival for Women" Training Course.
NOTE: The study claiming that 1 in 5 college girl are sexually assaulted during 4 years of college has been refuted by many who believe the actual incidents of sexual assault are 2% rather than 20% and there are other studies claiming the actual figure is 5% for rape and 10% for sexual assault. Another large study of 27 Universities and 150,000 students claims the figure is 23% for sexual assault and 11% for rape. Study results vary greatly by study and by school in the same study. Results from various universities also vary greatly. A newer Bureau of Justice Statistics study (cited below) shows that about 1 in 50 are raped or sexually assaulted.
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5176. Lynn Langton, Ph.D., Sofi Sinozich, BJS Intern. December 11, 2014 NCJ 248471
Stun guns and tasers often times require the user to be close to their intended target. In addition to proximity issues, heavy clothing, poor aim, and multiple attackers contribute to these device’s limitations. The stun gun's short incapacitation time allows little time to get to safety, especially in isolated areas.
Pepper sprays are all too often unreliable. Recently, the University of Utah conducted a test of various sprays. Their study showed that the potency claims made by the manufacturers are often times misstated with some sprays containing only 1/100th of the potency claimed on their label. In addition to the low potency, it is uncommon for people to carry pepper spray in their hands which makes it less accessible should an attack happen.
Though we support the right to carry firearms, and know that firearms can save lives, firearms are impractical in a majority of situations where civilian-on-civilian attacks occur. Ending someone’s life, especially unintentionally or unjustifiably, is the last thing any of us want to do, which is why we created the most powerful non-lethal device possible with the Defense Alert Device (D.A.D.™). It often allows you to stop an attack before it ever gets to the point that lethal force becomes necessary, which is why police officers love having a TigerLight® in hand.
Watch Tim describe how the Defense Alert Device (formerly called the Peacekeeper Mini as mentioned in the video) keeps his team safe.