Have a safe Christmas

Now that we are hurtling towards the holiday season, follow these safety tips from the Lucie Blackman Trust on your nights out and have a safe Christmas:

PLANNING:

Have you worked out how you are getting home?
Have you put I.C.E. (a number to be rung In Case of Emergency) on your mobile?
Is your mobile charged up and do you have credit?
Book a taxi home BEFORE you go out.
Take a long coat to cover your party clothes on the way home.
Arrange to travel home with a friend.
If going out by yourself, set up a Safetytext before you leave, and if your plans change, set up a new Safetytext, so if something happened to you, someone could find you.

DRINKING SAFELY:

Never leave your drink unattended
If you are in a group, maybe there is someone who is driving and not drinking, elect them to watch over everyone’s drinks.
Use a Drink Spike Detector – and make sure people see you doing so.
Ask your pub for a DSD – they should have them. If not, tell them about the Lucie Blackman Trust.
Pace yourself – if you have too much alcohol too quickly it will catch up with you an hour later.
Miss a round of drinks occasionally, and have a soft drink.
If you are with a group of friends – LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER.
Don’t drink so much that you can’t control your actions. You will become an easy target. If a guy can push you behind some bushes, you will be raped in less than a minute. You may be made pregnant, be given a sexually transmitted disease, even AIDS.

YOU MUST STAY IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF

*IMPORTANT* IF YOU HAVE YOUR DRINK SPIKED – PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE POLICE. THEY NEED TO KNOW.

GOING HOME:

Take a long coat out with you.
If you are a girl in skimpy party clothing, wearing a long coat over your party clothes will make you less of a target.
If you are travelling home alone, set up a Safetytext giving your route and cancel when you are home safe.
If you have to walk, make sure you go the way with the best street lighting. It may be further – but it's safer.
If walking down a quiet street or lane, walk in the middle of the road.
Make sure you have a Lucie Blackman personal attack alarm ready to use.
Don’t accept a lift from someone you have just met – or if you do, put their details in a Safetytext.
When nearly home, make sure you have your door keys ready so you can enter your house quickly.

We welcome partners and information that will support work in this area. To contact The Lucie Blackman Trust telephone 01983 566083 or 07887893951.

© Copyright 2005: Lucie Blackman Trust