Walking alone at night

Why take the risk if you don’t need to The world is not a safe place anymore being brave or in denial won’t keep you alive and safe anymore stay at home don’t go out alone

There is no doubt that recent events have put fear into a lot of people. The incidences of attacks and killings are few but it still means that women have to be cautious. And just because we are older does not mean that we are less at risk. I know one young women who was raped by a stranger on a street but most violence towards women goes on behind closed doors either as date rape or in marriages and relationships.
I live near the sea and go for long walks but if there are no people about I don't feel at ease at any time of day and especially when its getting dark. I would walk locally as there are always people around. It's always been like this for women...nothing much has changed.

No. Two incidents in my life, one when I was 9 and one in my early 20s. Even now I am 70 in the daylight if I find myself in an isolated place with a man or men nearby I either stop and face them and pretend to me using my phone or I run. I prefer to be in busy areas. To me it is more about isolation rather than the dark. It only takes one weirdo to ruin your life.

I walk alone. I don't feel scared. Maybe I'm just stupid but nothing's gone wrong. Yet. Apart from the time I tripped over and 2 lovely young men came and picked me up. Didn't run off with my handbag either. I think most men are decent. Sarah's friend wrote a lovely piece about how worried they were at the anti men mantras that were going on after her death.

www.spiked-online.com/2021/03/13/this-is-not-what-sarah-would-have-wanted/

I do a 30 minute walk around 8.30 pm every night from my partners to my own home. I feel reasonably safe as we are in a rural area. The road is lit up all the way.

I will walk at night in busy well-lit main streets locally. Not sure if I would walk in secluded areas or after 11pm. It's not just because I'm a woman it's just because mugging and violent attacks have happened locally, not often, but always in the dark. A lot of our local attacks have been on young men, stabbings or muggings.

When I was younger I used to catch what was then called a workman’s bus if I had a night out. . Used to aim for one about 1a.m. They used to run about every hour during the night to get night workers to shift work. They would be mainly men on them and you always felt so safe because if a drunk got on and bothered you they were always told to “leave the young lady alone”. I would then walk up my road about a 10 minute walk and never worried about the dark. Would often see a Bobby on his beat to pass the time and he would always say “take care my dear” Was living alone so no parents to worry about me, and always felt so safe. Would I have let my daughters do the same now or do the same myself now definitely not. How times change

I wouldn’t go out for a walk after dark. I drive to choir and there is a car park outside, so that’s OK. When it comes to the concert, it is in a big hall in the city with no adjacent parking, so I normally go on the bus. I don’t much like the walk to the bus stop afterwards, or if I miss a bus, hanging around for the next one, and especially since Covid when not so many people are in town.
I go to Aldi on foot after dark about 8.30pm, but it is just over the road and well lit up. I have no fears about that.
There’s no way I would walk back from the train station alone after dark.

mumstheword86

Why take the risk if you don’t need to The world is not a safe place anymore being brave or in denial won’t keep you alive and safe anymore stay at home don’t go out alone

So single women, or women who go out without their husband, should stay home in the evenings from October to March?

It's not brave or in denial - it's living a life that includes evening social events/activities.

I live in a town and often walk back from restaurants in the dark and used to walk back from work around 9 pm, I walk my two dogs through the wood ever day. As someone has said these sorts of incidents are rare and I don’t intend to let people like that stop me enjoying life, I refuse to become a prisoner in my own home scared of going out

Have you looked at the Hollie Guard app set up by a charity ? The basic version is free and would give some of us additional reassurance?

Live out of nearest town. Local streets or those I can access on foot across an A road, yes I would walk at night. I am not lessening any attack on a person day or night but surely we have to keep the Sarah Everard attack in perspective. Is the media playing up it was a police officer or a male? Out of the 8000 police in the Met just as in the same number within the general population there will be those who have morality issues. Can people be vetted to such an extreme level to assess if they will ever commit atrocities? Of course the internet issue that's come to light is something that could highlight a person's attitude to females. However we have to be careful that some of it may be bravodo amongst colleagues. Only a full enquiry will help to understand and hopefully change attitudes.

I completely agree, I was mugged and beaten at 6.30pm on a summers evening on a main road in West London. The police were brilliant but to track this guy is nearly impossible unless the CTV cameras are about and they are allowed to use them. I do think we should take responsibility where we walk when it’s dark, having said that we should be able to go where we want at whatever time! But these 2 awful murders, thank God, are quite rare unlike the domestic murders that are far more frequent.

Most men are decent. And nothing will stop those that aren't. So it's a question of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once on a London bus a man sat far too close to me, grinned and asked for my phone number. I gave him a false number but that was creepy. It's hard to know who to trust. Another time, driving in fog in a narrow lane, the car in front stopped and the driver got out. My heart pounded as he walked towards me. I locked myself in and opened my window about an inch. Turned out he was totally lost, that's all. It's so difficult.

When I was younger I would not of thought twice about walking on my own. Nowadays I only stick to my area while walking the dog at night, although now it's getting dark earlier I'm heading out earlier too. I'm sure there were a lot of dangers years ago, but you never really heard about it as much as you do now.

Yes I’m fine with going out when it’s dark, I wouldn’t walk in a remote area alone. I am still active socially and I’ll be cautious but it won’t stop me.

I work as a care assistant and I cant drive so I have to work between calls on my own after dark till 10 pm I have no choice I have to work

If I walk from my daughter’s house in the next road to mine, I always let her know by text when I am safely indoors. I would never walk alone any further than that and I don’t feel safe in other cities either, but I’m never alone when visiting friends. I am glad that my daughter no longer lives alone in Manchester and I’m glad I no longer have children at university in big cities. We were always chatting on mobile phones to keep children safe whatever time of day they walked alone.

i will not be a i live in a country lane with no lighting and few houses so it will be day time only for me

I never go out in the evening/ night except for unusual circumstanses, I would go alone in our local area,but it is so isolated I wouldnt like to anyway, I dont like the dark .I sound like a hermit.

I walk home from work across two parks, in winter time it’s dark at 5pm but it doesn’t stop me. I just feel we’d never go out at all if you’re afraid of the dark

" I do think we should take responsibility where we walk when it’s dark, having said that we should be able to go where we want at whatever time!"

Ellfiesnan

You can walk in a street in broad daylight and be attacked - girls and women have been. Conversely you can walk a lone street at night and not be assaulted.

Please tell me how we can "take responsibility for where we walk". Should we avoid streets in broad daylight or streets at night - or perhaps we should take full responsibility and not go out at all, or only with a male chaperone?

How much more responsibility are we going to be expected to take for the vile, predatory behaviour of some men?

I live in a village with no street lights. A male dog walker was murdered by a random stranger some miles away a couple of years ago in broad daylight. He didn’t have a big fierce dog like mine though. Without her, I would certainly think twice about walking after dark but am fine in the daytime.

Quote: “ How much more responsibility are we going to be expected to take for the vile, predatory behaviour of some men?‘
Problem is, that these men will always be around, waiting for an ideal opportunity. Not everywhere and every day, obviously, but there’s always a chance. No legislation, education or App is going to stop a determined predator.
It’s up to each individual, male or female, to make their own risk assessment before making any particular lone walk.
It’s no good saying “it’ll never happen to me” as clearly it does happen. However, the circumstances are usually similar - secluded area, woman alone, often dusk or dark.

Quote: “ How much more responsibility are we going to be expected to take for the vile, predatory behaviour of some men?‘
Problem is, that these men will always be around, waiting for an ideal opportunity. Not everywhere and every day, obviously, but there’s always a chance. No legislation, education or App is going to stop a determined predator.
It’s up to each individual, male or female, to make their own risk assessment before making any particular lone walk.
It’s no good saying “it’ll never happen to me” as clearly it does happen. However, the circumstances are usually similar - secluded area, woman alone, often dusk or dark.