How do you stay safe..alone?

[Jenn]

So what are you going to do Jenn, hole up in your house? You can't ensure anyone's safety, all you can do is manage your risk. As Mimi said a meteor could fall on your house.

My advice stop focusing on the high profile risks, like Kelsey. Think about the real risks in your life - diet, exercise, smoke free environment, sunscreen, seatbelts...

If you truly think violence is the biggest risk to you or your family, get a concealed weapons permit and be prepared to use the pistol to defend yourself.

V.

Wow.....the anger.....Tell her parentts that, and I'll make sure my 16 month old is packing.What BS....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wow.....the anger.....Tell her parentts that, and I'll make sure my 16 month old is packing.What BS....

Who's anger? If you come on a forum and ask people's advice and opinions on something, you shouldn't call their replies "BS". Veronica's advice was valid, thoughtful and polite.

[Eden]

Who's anger? If you come on a forum and ask people's advice and opinions on something, you shouldn't call their replies "BS". Veronica's advice was valid, thoughtful and polite.

Have to agree with V as well. Life's too short to be worrying about ending up on this week's unsolved crime show... I would guess that you probably have about as much chance of being hit by lightening (and as we have maybe two, three thunder storms a year at the most in this area the chance of being hit is pretty remote...) as being taken by a serial killer, so I just can't live my life in fear of something like that.

As far as Jenn goes - I don't know if she's still lurking or not since she started a thread to tell us all that she was leaving (but she did that once before too....), but if she is - frankly I think you totally overreact when you post and someone puts up an opionion that you did not want to hear. It's not an attack - its an opinion that differs from your own and the poster has a right to it. If you only want people to confirm what you are all ready sure that you know maybe an open, diverse, worldwide forum is not the best place to seek advice.... And compared to many other forums this is a real sanctuary, without the insincere BS and name calling that goes on on a lot of other boards. From what I've seen no one has posted anything I would construe as rude or offensive towards you.

[Python]

To throw my tuppenceworth into the melting pot.

I've said this before, but if we were to worry about what might happen, we'd never get out of our beds in the morning.

As for the possible threat of violence. We have a big problem with that in the UK just now, thanks to a government that's soft on crime.

However, I'll be blowed if I'm going to pussyfoot around, be afraid to go out alone, on the bike, walking or whatever. The day I become afraid of living my life how I want to, go where I want, when I want to is the day the pondlife and scum of this country win, and so long as I am able to I will not allow that to happen.

[SouthernBelle]

I clicked and asked that the "Goodbye Cruel Forum" post be removed and it's looks to be gone.

Hey, if ya wanna leave, just leave.

[Python]

I think this is one of the friendliest forums there is.

Of course there will be differences of opinion and not everyone will agree with everyone else. That's life, but to take opinions to heart and throw teddy out of the pram is, well, a bit childish to say the least. Sometimes it's best to agree to disagree.

I suppose some people are just too easily offended.

[SouthernBelle]

[B] That's life, but to take opinions to heart and throw teddy out of the pram is, well, a bit childish to say the least.

I've never heard the teddy phrase before. I love it.

[Starfish]

Have to agree with V as well. Life's too short to be worrying about ending up on this week's unsolved crime show... I would guess that you probably have about as much chance of being hit by lightening (and as we have maybe two, three thunder storms a year at the most in this area the chance of being hit is pretty remote...) as being taken by a serial killer, so I just can't live my life in fear of something like that.

Completely agree. Also completely agree that this is a wonderful forum. I'm so grateful to all of you!

[Aggie_Ama]

Maybe this thread should be closed??? The difference in opinions is what I enjoy about the forum, as it often asks me to think of a situation differently. Somehow this thread took a wrong turn.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maybe this thread should be closed??? The difference in opinions is what I enjoy about the forum, as it often asks me to think of a situation differently. Somehow this thread took a wrong turn.

I don't know, there is some valid and useful advice that came up in this thread. It certainly is a subject that is good to discuss. Seems to me there is nothing THAT awful in the thread that would make it necessary to erase the whole thing. But then again safety issues will all be brought up again eventually anyway in one thread or another.
I did find it interesting that some of us feel safer when there is NO ONE around, while others feel safer when there are other people around.
I also learned that "bear pepper spray" shoots 8 ft, further than "regular" dog pepper spray (which shot about 4 feet in my field test)- a good thing to know!

That poor woman near me in Albany NY who was hit and killed by a car last week had no ID on her at all, and it took 2 or 3 days I think before police were able to find out who she was and notify her family. Shows how important it is for us all to have ID of some sort when we ride, for one thing.

[Mr. Bloom]

I don't know, there is some valid and useful advice that came up in this thread. It certainly is a subject that is good to discuss.

I agree...it reminded me to check on Silver's pepper spray status.

Mr. Silver: "Silver, do you have your pepper spray on your bike"
Silver: "No, but I know where it is"
Mr. Silver: "What good will that do?"
Silver: "I just have to figure out what to do with it"
Mr. Silver: "Well, did you think it might be better to carry it?"
Silver: "Yep, I like that post's suggestion of putting it on my saddle pack"
Mr. Silver: "How will you reach it if a dog is charging at you?"
Silver: " OH "

Glad we had the discussion.

I don't think we should live in fear.

I do think we should be alert and prepared.

We should not FEAR what could happen.

But, we must RESPECT the possibilities. That's why we wear helmets, stop at stops, etc

[Aggie_Ama]

I don't know, there is some valid and useful advice that came up in this thread. It certainly is a subject that is good to discuss. Seems to me there is nothing THAT awful in the thread that would make it necessary to erase the whole thing.

I agree, just wanted to see the discussion back on track.

Curiousity.... How comfortable are you pepper spray packing ladies at using it? Did you buy a bottle for practice? Or are you just assuming you will be able to use it when needed? I would like to let DH rest easier and ride on my own but I would probably end up pepper spraying myself! I learned with my CO2 that just because something is easy doesn't mean I won't find a way to make it hard. We have had a rabies outbreak in my county and aside from big ol' trucks and creepy ol' people there are rabid dogs. Wow, I am making my little piece of Texas paradise sound awful.