Running and Walking Safely:
Before you leave
* Plan your outing. Always tell someone where you are going
and when you will return.
* Know where telephones are located along the course and consider
carrying a cell phone.
* Wear an identification tag or carry a driver's license.
If you don't have a place to carry your ID, write your name,
phone number, and blood type on the inside of your athletic
shoe.
* Don't wear jewelry or carry cash (other than phone money)
* Wear reflective material
On the road
* Stay alert at all times. The more aware you are, the less
vulnerable you are.
* Run or walk with a partner or a dog.
* Don't wear headsets. If you wear them, you won't hear an
approaching car or attacker. Listen to your surroundings.
* Exercise in familiar areas. Know which businesses or stores
are open.
* Vary your route.
* Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets and overgrown trails.
Especially avoid poorly lit areas at night.
* Run clear of parked cars or bushes.
* Ignore verbal harassment. Use discretion in acknowledging
strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep
your distance and keep moving.
* Run against traffic so you can observe approaching automobiles.
* Trust your intuition about a person or an area. React based
on that intuition and avoid areas where you feel unsafe.
* Be careful if anyone in a car asks directions - if you answer,
keep a considerable (safe) distance from the car.
* If you think someone is following you, head for populated
areas. Seek out open businesses, offices, and Police/Fire depts.
* Have your door key ready before you reach your home.
* Call police immediately if something happens to you or someone
else, or you notice something out of the ordinary.
Safety Alert
Sometimes runners or walkers are lulled into a "zone"
where they are so focused in their exercise they lose track
of what's going on around them. This state can make runners
and walkers more vulnerable to attacks. Walk and run with confidence
and purpose. If you get bored running without music, practice
identifying characteristics of strangers and memorizing license
tags to keep you from "zoning out." Exercise your
mind as well as your body by reciting poetry, song lyrics or
a mantra as you run.
Around Campus
If you are ever walking or running on campus and feel unsafe,
go to the nearest phone and call 911, or if not the vicinity
of a phone, head into a populated building. Know where the campus
Emergency Phones are located.
Use SAFE WALK (491-1155), a service provided by CSU Police which
provides Community Service Officers to "walk along"
with students, staff and faculty.
* All Information taken from the National Crime Prevention
Council Web Site. For more safety tips, please visit them at:
www.ncpc.org
