Knowing These Safety Tips When You Run May Save Your Life

If you are one of those people that get up bright and early, like 4:00 am, to do your running, you need to be sure you’re practicing safe running measures.  Yes, you want to have the right shoes and comfortable clothing, and you want to miss rush hour traffic, but you need to be aware of so much more. 

Whether you run at 4:00 am or 8:00 pm, or any other time during the day, there are safe practices you should use, like road safety.  Yes, you’re on foot, but you’re also sharing the roadway with cars and trucks. Your safety is your responsibility when it comes to running with traffic.  Like, run toward traffic, not with the flow. By doing this, you’ll see what’s coming at you, like a vehicle swerving, and you can get out of the way.

If you like listening to music via headphones while running, be extra sensitive to your surroundings. Don’t have your music turned up so loud you can’t hear the traffic around you. Be aware of traffic signals and cars that run through a yellow light or turning corners. Running on public streets isn’t the same as running around the gym or on a treadmill.

Be sure to wear bright, light colored clothing so that you 're visible to oncoming traffic. Buy shoes that have blinking lights or reflective stripes and clothing that has reflective stripes, as well. Add a headband or running vest to your running attire.

Keep your cell phone and identification on you at all times. These are good to have should you have any accident or have any trouble, you can get help quickly. Better yet, or in addition to, always run with somebody.  There is safety in numbers, so running with two or three of your family members or friends is one of the safest ways to run.

Have more than one course for running and alternate between them from time to time. This is especially important if you run alone. There are predators that will watch a regular runner and note their path and pattern they run every day. By varying between different courses, they won’t know where to expect you.