Whether you’re a newbie parent with your first born headed to college or a groomed student about to enter your last year of college, you should become acquainted with many of the safety apps available to you…don’t take your safety lightly.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female and 9% are male.
Here’s is your opportunity join the movement to “be brave be prepared” Visit Bag of Courage (https://bagofcourage.com/) for additional knowledge, download a free college safety checklist and take a look at the Bag of Courage college safety kit.
Here’s a list of college safety apps for you all to consider. Being prepared for emergencies is a lifestyle change, and if you take the initiative to learn and educate others, you’ve just made a difference in your life and hopefully helped someone else. So do me a favor, share this article to promote your Courage.
Determine Which Safety Apps Works Best for YOU!
Circle of 6
Free – Available on iTunes and Google Play
Website: https://www.circleof6app.com/
The Circle of 6 safety app has received numerous accolades since first being introduced into the teen safety app arena. The premise for developing the Circle of 6 safety app was to develop a community app that serves as a tool to communicate among six of your closest friends and family. The Circle of 6 app was not designed for life-threating scenarios, but to help get you out of sticky situations before escalating into one.
The app has three communication options (Pin Icon, Phone Icon Chat Icon). The Pin Icon notifies your friends via text and provides GPS coordinates of your location. The message will read “come and get me. I need help getting home.” Your circle of friends will receive the message and help should be on its way. The Phone Icon sends a text message to the group requesting “Call and pretend you need me. I need an interruption.” This is the group’s cue to call and determine how to be of assistance. The third option, Chat Icon, sends a text summoning the group that “I need to talk.” Access to national hotlines is also available via the app.
The Circle of 6 web site also provides a wealth of resources regarding sexual assault, making healthy choices, no means no and much more. Hence, It’s not just a safety app…it’s a tool to help reduce violence. The app is currently being utilized in 36 countries.
Companion
Free – Available on iTunes and Google Play
Website: https://companionapp.io/
The Companion safety app is exactly that. The premise that you alert predetermined companions (nearby friends and family) to follow you from point A to B. For example, it’s late, and you’re leaving the library on your way home…or you need to go to the local pharmacy alone…traveling to and from work, etc. Certainly, you want a companion during these circumstances.
The app is extremely easy to use. You open the safety app, input “where you are going” and notify your companion(s) and then your companion follows your travels to and from your destination on the smartphone app. Once you arrive at your destination, you notify your companion that you have arrived. The companion app also gives you the option to “call police” or notify them that “I Feel Nervous”. It all depends on the circumstances as you travel to and from your destination.
Circle of 6 – bSafe – Companion
bsafe
Free – Available on iTunes and Google Play
Website: http//www.getbsafe.com/
This safety app has received great reviews just as the previous two listed above. The bSafe app is extremely user-friendly. Similar to other safety apps, it requires you list friends and family members (Guardians) to be part of your emergency response network.
The safety app has five features that can be helpful depending on the user’s circumstances. The main feature, Alert Friends, sounds an alarm within 3 seconds of pressing the button. The alarm sounds notifying your friends/family of your location and records a live video of the situation on the phone. Your Guardians then contact the local police and have them dispatched to your GPS coordinates.
This app is loaded with additional features such as requesting friends to follow you on your travels, notify friends of your location with “I’m here” and even schedule that a “Fake Call” be placed to your phone.
At the time of publishing this article, the bSafe safety app is currently undergoing an upgrade. Keep checking the website for the new version. I keep checking as well and provide my input on the upgrade as soon as it’s available.
Safe Trek
1st Month Free: $2.99/month: Available on iTunes and Google Play
Website: https://www.safetrekapp.com/
Of all the apps I’ve mentioned, this is the simplest to use. You open the safety app and keep your finger on the blue Safe Trek Icon. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation or walking across campus and just have that feeling, open the app and place your finger the app sensor. The idea is that you hold the sensor until you feel safe.
If the situation escalates, you release the sensor and the SafeTrek app calls the police and provides them with GPS coordinates. I like the fact that there’s no sound and you don’t have to say anything. All you know is that help is on its way to your location. If you don’t have an emergency, upon releasing your finger from the sensor, you have 3 seconds to input a predetermined pin number. Simple and easy to use!
In contrast to the other safety apps mentioned above, the SafeTrek app requires a monthly or annual subscription. An annual subscription is $29.99. At a minimum, signup for the free trial and you determine whether the fee is worth your safety. The three other safety apps mentioned above rely on your friend/family group to contact the police. The Safe Trek app links directly to local law enforcement. I find this feature worth $2.50 per month.
SafeTrek – React Mobile
React Mobile
Free: Available on iTunes and Google Play
Website: http://www.reactmobile.com
Here’s another simple and user-friendly safety app. The React Mobile app features three icons on the main screen (“I’m fine”, “Follow Me” and “Help Me”) on the main screen)
Like most safety apps, you create an account and establish a list of contacts consisting of close friends and family. These individuals are your first line of defense. With your contact list established, you are ready to start using the app.
You reach out to your contacts, request that they “Follow Me,” provide a destination and time and that’s it. The contacts are notified of your request and your travels are displayed with real time tracking. What a great feature if you are traveling to and from the gym, to and from the library and so forth.
Another added feature of the app is you can slide the interface toggle from “I’m Fine” or “Follow Me” to the “SOS” option. Selecting “SOS” dials 911 (local police department) and contacts friends and family of the situation.
An added feature with this React Mobile safety app is the “Sidekick Device.” The Sidekick is a panic button that’s directly paired to the phone app. Attach the panic button to your keys, pants, purse or shirt while running or have it in hand while walking to the car. A simple press of the button and your contacts are notified. There are no subscription fees, but you will need to purchase the panic button for $69.99.
Inhale Courage and Exhale Fear with these College Safety Apps
In conclusion, your college and life experiences should be memorable ones. Education and preparedness are key to protecting oneself from the unexpected things that life can and will present. Most importantly, take a look at the five safety apps presented in the article and determine what works best for you. Please share this article with friends and family and convince them to consider loading an app on their phones.
Safety in numbers is not a myth. You should also consider carrying other emergency and self-defense products. Inexpensive items such as pepper spray, pepper gel, and emergency whistles can reduce risk and can help when the need arises. Visit Bag of Courage for additional safety articles, safety products and to download a FREE college safety checklist (click here).
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