Safety & Security Tips for Pedestrians and Commuters

COMMUTERS & STAFF USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Awareness is your first line of defense – be aware of yourself and your surroundings

• Avoid walking alone;

• Trust your instincts: if something feels wrong, it most probably is;

• Avoid headphones: you need your ears to hear what is going on around you;

• When walking alone, don’t talk on your cell phone – you will be distracted and not aware of what is going on around you. Also, keep your phone out of sight;

• Strap your bag across your chest and hold it tight, without looking nervous. Keep the zip opening towards you. Remember, backpacks can easily be tampered without you noticing it;

• Do not carry too many packages at once – you must always have clear visibility and freedom of motion;

• Do not wear expensive jewellery;

• Do not carry large amounts of cash and avoid drawing money when walking alone at night;

• Stick to well-lit and busy streets. Avoid dark areas, parking lots or alleys;

• Don’t wear shoes or clothing that restricts your movements; and

• Carry a noisy friend – a whistle! Carry it around your wrist or in your hand, it will not be of any use in your bag.

ATM SECURITY 

• Use ATMs in well-lit and safe areas.

• Don’t allow your card to be removed from your sight.

• Don’t accept help from strangers or give out your pin, not even to persons claiming to be bank officials.

• Watch out for people standing very close to you and looking over your shoulder as you type in your pin.

• Never leave your card in the ATM, if stuck, follow instructions provided on the ATM machine.

• When cancelling an ATM card if it has been stuck please use the numbers on the wall in and around the ATM to cancel the card.

• Make sure you are not followed AFTER a transaction – After the transaction has been completed please remove printed slip as this will give information on the balance in the account.

DON'T WALK AND TEXT

Protect yourself from a texting while walking injury / crime by following these pedestrian safety tips:

• Stay off your phone. Ask yourself if it can wait. Chances are, it can.

• If you urgently need to use the phone, find a safe AND secure place to step aside. Complete your call or text before resuming your walk.

• Obey the laws. Cross only at crosswalks whenever possible, and obey all traffic signals.

• Be attentive. Frequently assess your surroundings, and before crossing the street, make eye contact with drivers so you know you’ve seen each other.

• Use helpful technology. Consider software that reads messages aloud and enables voice-to-text typing so you can keep your head up and hands free.

• Turn down the volume. Keep your phone’s volume to a reasonable level so you can hear what’s happening around you. Noise-canceling headphones are a definite no-no when walking.