Why Women Need Personal Safety Apps
It used to work like this: When I had to walk through a shady parking lot or investigate a late night thump in the house, I’d dial 911 on my brick of a Nokia, thumb hovering over the rubbery green phone icon, ready. Sometimes I’d even have a mace key chain in my other hand (a going-to-college gift from a concerned relative, as they often are).
Since then, I’ve lost the portable pepper spray and trained myself not to whip out my iPhone when I’m in a dicey situation, lest its blueish-white glow only attract more trouble. But now, with no pre-dialed call for help and no teeny weapon stashed between my keys, my gum, and my MetroCard, I guess I don’t really do much to brace myself for life’s more dangerous curve balls.
In today’s world, though, there’s no reason that I should be living in that cavalier way—nor should any other smartphone-owning woman. As I realized when I discovered Kitestring, there’s some seriously impressive safety technology out there that all women should know about: Whistles to get bystanders’ attention, GPS trackers to lead people to your location, automatic video recordings to capture proof of a crime, etc. Yes, they’re still apps, I know, and they won’t stop tragedies—violent attacks, car crashes—from happening. But they might just give you the tools you need to alert your loved ones or the authorities and get you help faster when they happen—which is sort of priceless, isn’t it?
Below, our guide to the best personal safety apps on the market (each link goes out to the iTunes store, but many are available for Androids and BlackBerrys, too):
BY NATALIE MATTHEWS