Do you know what it takes to be a street-smart person?
Knowing how to keep yourself protected from strangers while you’re alone or in a group is part of being street smart.
According to Adam S. Kutner, “while there are lots of upsides to walking, walking while you’re distracted can also be dangerous.” Generally speaking, you need to be aware of your surroundings and it can make all the difference when it comes to staying safe.
Read on the following signs and pieces of advice shared from various people that you can refer to:
#1 Hold your keys at all times.
“Always get your keys out before you leave a building to go to your car, and have them in hand as you exit it before you go into your house. Not only are they a great weapon if needed, but you aren’t distracted while searching for them.” — u/notthesedays
#2 Know the OODA loop.
“Look up the OODA loop (observe–orient–decide–act) and learn it. Notice who stands out, who looks out of place. If you get a bad feeling about a situation or person, DO NOT ignore it. Know your exits.” — u/TheBklynGuy
#3 Walk on the opposite side of the street from the traffic.
“Always walk on the side of the road that opposes traffic. This puts distance between you and a car that might be trying to follow you.” — u/kannakantplay
#4 Don’t get caught up in your phone.
“Don’t walk into the street texting, tweeting, meme-ing, etc. I’ve seen people walking straight into traffic because of this.” — u/rip_andtear
#5 If someone tries to threaten you, do this.
“If someone is attempting to take you to a secondary location by car or something, fight like your life depends on it, because it does. Poke their eyes out. Punch them in the testicles. Bite them, scratch them, anything you can think of, do it to get yourself free. There are no rules when it comes to this situation. Some specific things you can do are screaming ‘Fire!’ Or ‘Help my child!’ This will catch more attention than just plain ‘Help.'” — u/Spook_Fuzz
#6 And if you feel you’re being tracked, do this.
“If you think you are being followed or if you hear somebody behind you, feel free to turn around and look directly at them because it shows you are not afraid to be aware of your surroundings.” — u/UnicornPanties
#7 Be vigilant!
“Basically, just be aware of your surroundings. A lack of situational awareness can lead to some bad things.” — u/tommytster
#8 Make use of the windows.
“Use windows as mirrors to check behind you. Literally every window you walk past, you should take a quick glance to know what’s going on behind you…” — u/Spook_Fuzz / u/jjb8712
#9 Wearing headphones might put you in danger.
“You make yourself an easy target by making it so even the most heavy-footed mugger can sneak up on you.” — u/LinuxPariah
#10 Make wide turns around corners when walking.
“Seriously, you should swing wide around corners, it’s no joke. Once I was walking home from the bar. I lived two blocks away. At the time, I was 6’1″ and probably weighed 280 pounds. I came around the corner about halfway home and BOOM, I went down. Some kid that didn’t even look 18 nailed me in the face with a skateboard. I went down so fast and didn’t even know what hit me.” — u/rusty_L_shackleford
#11 Observe your shadows.
“Shadows can also be useful to pay attention to when you’re trying to peek behind you or see if there’s someone around a corner.” — u/jannabanandroid
#12 Make sure you’re surrounded by people who make you feel safe.
“There’s a difference between feeling comfortable and feeling safe.” — u/badgerfishing
Stay safe always!
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