A personal safety alarm is a small fob or handheld device that activates a siren with the pull of a cord or push of a button. There are many different models, but I’ve had the Ariza’s for a few months now. It’s about the size of a lighter, has a hinged clip that easily secures to a waist or sternum strap, and emits a 120-decibel sound similar to the piercing ring of a smoke detector (120 decibels is as loud as an ambulance or police siren). When I clip it to my pack, I certainly feel safer on isolated trails with my young son and pup. But the thing with deterrents is you never know if they’ll work until after the fact. If I panicked, would I even be able to use it correctly?
But there are a number of scenarios in which it probably wouldn’t play out that way: there’s not another person close enough to hear it, the batteries are dead, you fumble and drop it, or maybe it just doesn’t deter, Snell says. Because it’s just noise, it doesn’t communicate information the same way voices and body language can. “No matter what, you’re still going to have to do something else while you wait for help to arrive or get to safety.” In that regard, personal safety devices might give people a false sense of security.
Post time: Apr-08-2023
