On Your Own: Safety Strategies for Single Living
Living alone is something millions of us do and be the sole occupant has its advantages, but it can also present some safety issues, unless you take the right precautions.
Suffering an attack or personal injury is something that none of us want to experience if possible, but as Concord personal injury lawyers, David Resnick and Associates will confirm, accidents and incidents are a regular occurrence, so you need to adopt some safety strategies.
Safety should always be a consideration
Living alone can provide you with a real sense of freedom and being able to wear what you like, watch what you want and make up your own rules, definitely has its perks, but one aspect of solo living that should always be a consideration, is your personal safety.
When you first find somewhere to live on your own, make sure your check out the current levels of safety and make a note of what needs to be fixed or added to improve your levels of security and provide you with greater peace of mind.
What to look for
You don’t want to make it easy for an intruder to get in and you don’t want to get locked out either, so make sure you check all of the locks and handles on the doors and windows and confirm that they are strong enough and in good working order.
It is not just your personal safety that you are trying to protect. You need to make sure that there is an adequate escape route in the event of a fire and clarify that the smoke detectors and fire alarms are working, as there won’t be anyone else around to wake you in an emergency.
Attention to detail
We are all creatures of habit to a certain extent and therefore many neighborhoods settle into a regular pattern in the day and night, with people habitually coming and going at certain times and shops keeping the same hours each week.
Paying attention to how your neighborhood ticks and when most people are about will help you to get a feel for when you should be most safe walking about in the area.
Try to get to know your immediate neighbors. You don’t have to try and become best friends but looking out for each other and getting to know a bit about your regular routine, will allow you to spot when something seems to be wrong of if someone unfamiliar is loitering around.
Control of your keys
It might seem a bit of a hassle but you should definitely considering changing the locks when you move into a new apartment.
It is much better to know exactly who has got access to your home and have control over every set of keys that are available. You can only truly do this if you change the locks and then exercise care as to who you give any keys to.
Other ideas to consider when it comes to personal safety, is to park your car in a well-lit area or close to a high traffic area. Also, always trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable with the existing occupant in an elevator, make your excuses and don’t get in there.
Single living can be a lot of fun and a great lifestyle, but don’t disregard the importance of personal safety.
Morgan Todd is a law student who also loves to write. When she’s not studying you’ll find her tapping away at the keyboard working on her novel as well as articles which appear online.
