6 Reasons Every College Student Needs a Safety Kit

No college campus is entirely safe, no matter what its reputation is. Every year, there are over 28,500 violent crimes on college campuses in the US alone.

Therefore, students should take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety on campus. Fortunately, we can help with that. Let's talk about the benefits of a safety kit for college students.

What's Included in a Safety Kit?

Depending on the safety kit you purchase, it should include non-lethal self-defense products that can potentially save your life in the event of an attack. This could include products such as:

• Mace (pepper spray)
• Taser or stun gun
• Blunt weapon (i.e. nightstick, punching weapon, etc.)
• Alarm, whistle, or security alert system

The list goes on, including any items that can protect you during an attack. This may include lethal objects, including discrete knives or other blades.

Who Needs a Safety Kit?

Unfortunately, college campuses aren't only a place of learning. They are ripe for violent attacks, which is why campus security is always so tight.

Believe it or not, 13% of all college students, both male and female, experience rape or sexual assault during their tenure. That's a truly staggering and heartbreaking number.

Before you suggest that these aren't all violent attacks, the threat doesn't stop there. College students are notorious for drinking and experimenting with substances.

Consequently, this can turn even the most well-meaning students toward violence. Non-sexual, physical assaults are also incredibly common on college campuses.

Therefore, college students of all genders should take simple steps to protect themselves from an attack, even if they feel safe on campus. A safety kit is a great place to start. Let's talk about some of the benefits.

1. Peace of Mind

Without a doubt, the biggest benefit on this list is the peace of mind that comes with personal protection. Nobody plans on being attacked at any given moment, but walking around campus alone at night or being in an unfamiliar party setting can be quite scary.

As a result, having a proper safety kit at your disposal can help you feel at ease, especially for those with anxiety, which up to 1 in 3 college students experience.

With a safety kit, you can then remind yourself that an attack is unlikely to happen at any given moment, but that you will be prepared if it does.

2. Non-Lethal Protection

Everybody wants the ability to protect themselves, but you may not want to carry something that can cause serious injuries or death. This could put you in a position where you may have to choose between taking a life or risking your own safety. In many cases, this could put you in a personally dangerous or even escalating situation.

For example, threatening someone with a knife or a gun is easy. But actually, using them on another person is not.

However, this threat could easily escalate the situation and make an attacker's "fight or flight" instincts kick in, potentially escalating the situation. If you aren't prepared to use that weapon, then you could be in serious danger.

Conversely, having something like pepper spray is much easier to use. If someone is attacking you, all you need is a thumb to unlock, aim, and spray. It will hurt them, but you will not have to worry about causing permanent damage or death.

3. Discretion

You can hide safety kits and weapons on your person so that nobody would ever know. There are even disguised stun guns that look like iPhones, keychain blades, and more. This will ensure you don't run into problems on campus for possessing a weapon, but you'll still be able to protect yourself.

4. Leveling the Playing Field

We've all seen the big strong jocks around college campuses. Regardless of your sex or gender, it's easy to feel intimidated by someone much larger than you. Having a safety kit can help level the playing field, helping you feel more confident around people who may want to hurt you.

Moreover, this is especially important for females who do not have the biological physical advantages of males in terms of height, weight, speed, and physical strength. Of course, this is not always the case, but it is something to keep in mind.

5. Misunderstandings Happen

Especially when substances are involved, accidents and misunderstandings can happen to anybody. Even if someone would never wish to do you harm, anybody (including you) can find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Therefore, even if you think that you wouldn't put yourself in a situation where someone may hurt you, it's still better to be safe than sorry. Rationality and reason don't always work on an intoxicated person.

6. Preventing Future Incidents

Whether you used pepper spray or an emergency contact line, staving off one attack could potentially prevent dozens of others from happening. Safety lights and alarms can help bring attention to the situation, which can help alert police or campus security as quickly as possible.

An attacker may learn their lesson after experiencing such pain, or they may be brought to justice thanks to your quick thinking and action. Either way, you may have protected others in your college community from such an attack.

College Woman Safety Kit

Stay Safe on Campus

Now that you know some of the key benefits of carrying a safety kit with you on campus, use one today for your personal security. You don't want to go looking for a safety issue, but you don't want to be unprepared if one comes your way.

Keep reading our blog for our latest safety tips, and check out our college safety kits for both men and women today!