Whether your young adult is the first or the last to leave the nest, you want them to be safe out there!

Safety tips for young adults

1. Get your face out of your phone! Don’t walk and use your phone at the same time. When you aren’t looking at your surroundings, you’re at greater risk for an attack, a trip, a fall, getting hit by a car or, you know, falling into a hole.
2. Lock up! Lock your dorm or apartment doors, your car doors, your bike and your valuables. A simple locked door can change the mind of someone looking for an easy victim.
3. Back up your lock. Most predators are dissuaded by a lock, but not all. Something as simple as a security door wedge can buy you time. Most are cheap, small, and easy to use.
4. Update your social media AFTER the fact. Your phone allows you to post your comings and goings on social media in real time – don’t do it! Letting people know you’re studying alone or taking a walk at night makes you (and your empty dorm room or apartment) vulnerable.
5. Trust your gut. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, acknowledge it and then get out of there! At worst you’re overly cautious; at best you avoid a bad situation.
6. Know your surroundings. Scope out the emergency exits and the best routes home or to a safe place. When you go somewhere new, get the address and GPS it.
7. Locate a panic phone. Many college campuses have panic phones that connect directly to an emergency service. Cell phones lose their charge and can be broken. Panic phones are there for a reason.
8. Program your emergency contacts into your phone. Include important medical information (e.g. allergies, medical conditions) and your emergency contact numbers.