How to Stay Safe While Walking at Night

Keep your head up. When walking alone at night, always keep your head up and stay focused ahead. This will help you stay alert and aware of your surroundings. Avoid looking down or turning your gaze elsewhere, and only make brief eye contact with others.

• To avoid distraction, keep your phone in your pocket. If you're holding it, there's a temptation to glance at it, which lowers your awareness of the area around you and makes you vulnerable to surprise threats.
• If you ever feel uneasy, call a friend or family member and stay on the line with them until you arrive at your destination. This ensures someone knows where you are at all times.
• Also, avoid wearing headphones when walking. They can impair your ability to hear what’s going on around you, and you may not hear someone approaching until it’s too late to react.

Plan your route ahead of time. It's essential to map out your route in advance. Knowing exactly where you're headed allows you to walk with confidence. Keep a steady, brisk pace and always walk facing traffic so you're visible to others.

• If you happen to get lost, don't wander aimlessly. Find a nearby gas station, convenience store, or fast-food restaurant to ask for directions.

Keep your hands free. Except for carrying a flashlight, try to keep your hands unoccupied at all times. This way, you'll be ready to react if someone approaches, or catch yourself if you trip and fall.

• Consolidate all your personal items into one bag. Carrying multiple bags can slow you down in an emergency and make it harder to react quickly.

Carry a self-defense tool. Consider carrying non-violent self-defense tools like a whistle, pepper spray, or mace. A whistle can alert others to a problem, and its loud sound may discourage potential attackers. Properly used, pepper spray or mace could give you precious moments to escape and seek help. If local laws restrict the use of these tools, carry a flashlight and learn how to use it for self-defense—shine it in the attacker's eyes, strike them with the back of the flashlight, then run as fast as you can.

• When using pepper spray or mace, make sure the nozzle is pointing away from you and toward your attacker.

Use a flashlight or bike light. Carrying a flashlight or bike light is an excellent way to stay safe when walking at night. Even in well-lit areas, you might encounter dark spots. A flashlight will help illuminate these areas and prevent accidents. Tripping while walking at night is a serious hazard, but with a light, you can easily avoid it.

• Consider wearing a headlamp to keep your hands free.

Wear reflective clothing and comfortable shoes. Your clothes for walking at night should feature reflective strips on the front, sides, and back. Reflective gear helps drivers and cyclists spot you while you're walking in the dark. Additionally, wear comfortable shoes, such as sneakers, to help you walk confidently and quickly, should you need to escape a potential threat.

• If you're walking home from work, bring your sneakers in a separate bag and change into them before heading out.
• Alternatively, purchase a reflective vest to wear over your clothes, so you don't have to change outfits every time you walk home.

Stick to busy, well-lit routes. When walking at night, always choose busy paths that are commonly used by others. This reduces the likelihood of being alone. Whenever possible, walk in familiar areas where you are known, like a neighborhood where the residents recognize you. If you feel unsafe or suspect someone is following you, you can knock on a neighbor’s door for help.

Avoid poorly lit areas. Stay away from dark alleys, corners, and parking lots. Stick to well-lit streets, and always carry a flashlight in case you come across a dark stretch. Be mindful of areas with thick shrubbery, buildings, or other places where someone could hide.

• Don’t fall into the temptation of taking shortcuts through dark alleys or parking lots.

Avoid suspicious individuals. If you spot something or someone suspicious ahead, change your path immediately. Cross to the other side of the street or alter your route to steer clear of potentially dangerous people or situations.

• If you feel someone is following you, head toward a busy area like a gas station, convenience store, or fast-food restaurant. Avoid going straight to your car or home, where you might be trapped.

Walk with a companion. Whenever possible, try to have a friend or a dog walk with you at night. Safety is enhanced when you're not alone, and people are less likely to approach you if you're accompanied by someone else.

Inform someone about your plans. If you must walk alone at night, let a friend or family member know that you'll be walking by yourself. Share your route, your estimated arrival time, and any other details.

• There are apps like the Companion app that allow loved ones to track your walk. The app shares your starting time, location, and route, and will notify them once you've safely arrived at your destination.

Listen to your gut. Your instincts are your most valuable asset when walking at night. If you feel uneasy or suspect someone is following you, stop and scan your surroundings. Show the person that you're aware of their presence by briefly looking in their direction.

• If you believe you're being followed, avoid going straight to your car or home. Head for a public, well-lit place and stay there until you feel safe or call a taxi to take you to your destination.

• Exercise extra caution when crossing roads and walking facing oncoming traffic. Many drivers are not expecting pedestrians at night, so they may not be as vigilant.
• If you're feeling tired or have been drinking, it's better to call a taxi or stay at a friend's, relative's, or hotel for the night rather than walking alone to your car or home.
• Text or call someone to inform them when you've arrived at your destination or when you're leaving. That way, they'll know you're safe and reassured until your next update.