Going anywhere alone at night can be frightening; it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re going. Whether it’s a country lane or a bustling city, it’s rational to feel a little unsafe, particularly if you’re a woman or unfamiliar with your location. Whilst it can be reassuring to walk home with someone you trust, or to get public transport, sometimes, you have no choice but to go home alone in the dark.
I hardly ever go out, for the simple reason that I dislike the challenge of getting home afterwards. The event’s fun is overshadowed, with the journey home from the bar or party back to my flat often being the only thing on my mind during an event. Like most women, I’m very thorough in my system to get home safe: I promise to let people know when I’ve made it home, I have someone tracking my phone, and I even tell my mother (who lives a two-hour drive away) when I’m leaving and when I expect to be back. None of this, however, eliminates the danger of the actual journey home, whether it’s walking or waiting for the bus in the dark.
So, imagine how I feel when, after an excellent night at the Bobbin with the show choir, I have to walk home alone until I remember a service that my mother recommended to me when I first started university a year ago: Strutsafe. One of many nighttime phone lines active in the UK, StrutSafe focuses on the safety of people getting home alone. Their lines are open from 7 pm-3 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, although they plan to expand their hours to weekdays.
Within a minute of phoning, as I stood outside the bar at half-past 10 at night, I was put through to one of Strutsafe’s lovely volunteers, who would remain on the line with me until I made it back to my flat. The volunteers at Strutsafe are genuinely friendly and open to chatting. I had a pleasant conversation about my evening and degree, making the twenty-minute trek back to my flat more enjoyable and safer.
I think Strutsafe’s work is incredibly important. I’d hate to disrupt someone’s night by asking them to walk me home mid-party, and someone won’t always be there to phone at home – and it’s vitally important that people feel safe going home at night. Particularly as a young woman, Strutsafe is the ultimate reassurance: more than a quick pace, more than a GPS tracker, more than a personal alarm, and hopefully I’ll feel more comfortable going out with my friends knowing there’s a number I can call when I leave.
Whilst Strutsafe is the only phone line I’ve used, there are plenty more resources available in Aberdeen that you can call if you’re alone at night and feeling a bit uneasy. Suppose you’re on campus late at night (perhaps getting some studying done in the library). In that case, the SafeZone app allows you to log your location with the university’s security team and has functions to let you report emergencies and suspicious situations. There’s also the Hollie Guard app, which has a variety of features that can be activated if you feel unsafe, such as automatic video and audio recording, emergency contact alerts and location notifications, all done discreetly to avoid potentially aggravating a dangerous or distressing situation.
In an ideal world, nobody would have to use any of these apps or phone lines. However, the way things are, the fact that this technology is so prolific is wonderful. It helps reduce the anxiety many people feel when out alone at night, when they want to be enjoying themselves. So, the next time you’re out late and feel uneasy, remember that these services are there to help you get home safely.