There are many topics related to college that are lighthearted and fun to talk about: social events, making friends, relationships, etc. But there are also some college related topics that are a bit more serious, and one of them is personal safety when you are both on and off campus.
I like to try and see the best in everyone, but the sad truth is that there are people on college campuses who have the desire to harm others. Rape and hostage stituations are real things. We shouldn't live our lives solely with the fear of something that like happening, but young women (and men) of this generation should also be educated with the statistics and prepared to act quickly if they should find themselves in a dangerous situation.
I was e-mailed a few weeks ago by Robb Monkman, who is the founder of a company called React Mobile that has just built a free app for iPhones and Androids that can help a student out if they find themselves in an unsafe situation!! I don't know about you but I always love learning about free apps, and this sounded like something that a lot of my readers would be interested in! Below is more information about the app from Robb himself:
I’m the founder of React Mobile, a new free app for iPhone and Android that helps to enhance personal safety. In particular, our app is well suited to help protect college students on and off campus.
How does our app work? React Mobile helps you turn your smartphone into a powerful lifeline. React’s “Follow-me” feature allows you to have your trusted contacts track you in real-time whenever you’re concerned for your safety. With the push of a button, you can send an SOS alert containing your GPS coordinates to select emergency contacts via text message and email with an option for an alert to be posted on Facebook and Twitter. Once the SOS alert is activated, you’re automatically prompted to dial 911. Users also have the ability to choose which country they are visiting (or living in) from our settings tab and when they trigger an SOS alert they will be prompted to dial the appropriate emergency authority depending on where they are (ex: if they are in the UK the app will prompt a user to dial 112 not 911).
Can you explain your inspiration for creating this app? What exactly happened to you?
I’ve personally been the victim of a hostage situation while I was a college student and saw the need for a product that could be used to silently and discreetly alert the authorities and your trusted contacts if you are in trouble. When we first came up with the idea behind React Mobile, we wanted to develop a tool to improve safety on university campuses. What we noticed is that institutions are actively installing and maintaining blue light emergency phones which help to create the perception of safety on campuses. Although these blue light emergency phones can be useful, they are very expensive to install ($7K - $10K on average) and maintaining these phones costs upwards of $60k per year. Furthermore, usage rates are low and these phones are typically used for crank calls pestering police and security officers. While there is no doubt that these blue light emergency phones serve a purpose, we wanted to develop technology that puts the power of an emergency blue light phone in the palm of every students’ hand, thus, arming individuals with a more effective safety tool that can be used on and off campus.
Since our launch we’ve found other markets beyond schools that can benefit from our app’s capabilities, and we’ve been gaining traction with runners – women runners in particular.
“Follow-Me” Feature - React Mobile, is a safety tool that you hope you never have to use. We differentiate ourselves by providing users with a safety enhancement feature for everyday use. Our premium “Follow-me” feature allows users to have friends and family track them in real-time. When a user is concerned for their safety but doesn’t want to escalate a potentially harmless situation, they can have their friends and family track them in real-time until they are safe.
International Support: Users also have the ability to choose which country they are visiting (or living in) from our settings tab and when they trigger an SOS alert they will be prompted to dial the appropriate emergency authority depending on where they are (ex: if they are in the UK the app will prompt a user to dial 112 not 911).
Social Network Integration: SOS alerts can be posted to Facebook and Twitter – In the event of an emergency we want users to have the capability to alert as many people as possible. We are differentiating ourselves from the competition by offering users the option to post their emergency alerts to Facebook and Twitter with a link to their location.
After I reviewed all of the information that Robb sent me, all I could think was "Wow!" The idea for this app is quite creative, and have I mentiond the fact that I love how it's free?!
Speaking of 911 and dangerous situations, I was sort of in one this weekend. On my drive back into Charlotte on Saturday night after my day of hiking , I witnessed what I am 99% sure was a drunk driver on one of Charlotte's main interstates. There was a car that was going at least 20 miles under the speed limit, and swerving between the lanes at random without signaling. The car almost hit me twice, and I watched in horror as it almost hit other cars as well.
I knew that I had to report it, but I don't like to use my phone while driving. (I do use it for music, but I have learned how to change the songs without looking at it.) I wasn't even sure whether to call 911 or just the local police, as this had never happened to me before. I decided to call my dad, but I knew that I still had to get off the highway. The random exit that I picked to get off of ended up taking me to a very sketchy neighborhood, and as I pulled over in a fast-food restaurant parking lot to call my dad I locked my car doors and prayed that nothing would happen to me as I did the right thing. My dad advised me to call 911, so I called them right after to report the car. I hope that the state troopers were able to catch this person and give them a ticket- even if they were not intoxicated that was still the worst driving that I've ever seen in my life! I was luckily able to find my way out of the neighborhood very quickly, but overall that was an experience that I wish I hadn't had happen (both the drunk driver and the neighborhood).
This just goes to show y'all that scary situations can happen at anytime, and personally I would rather be prepared when one happens! That's why I encourage everyone to look further into React Mobile. Yes, this is a sponsored blog post, but my personal opinions are also expressed, and I think that this is an excellent app idea and that all college students (or anyone who feels they could use it) should take advantage of it while it's free!
xoxo Miss ALK
This is such a great post! I am constantly worried about my safety and to be honest, I really don't feel that safe unless I have my boyfriend with me haha. I will definitely be getting this app!
ReplyDeleteHunter
www.preponabudget.com
This is an awesome awesome app. Because, even though a lot of colleges have those blue light buttons that you can press for emergencies, you aren't always goign to be standing right beside one if you are in a life threatening situation. Having your phone is a safer bet to me.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Eve Carson was killed at UNC Chapel Hill back in 2008. She was the student body president of UNC and was killed as two people broke into her house one evening while she was studying.
It's important to keep your doors locked too while you are at home. Safety always, not just on campus but off campus too!
Ginny:)
www.buttergirldiaries.com
Oh how neat!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool app! I plan to download it asap as I often find myself in areas that aren't the nicest and this would be comforting to have.
ReplyDeletep.s. glad you stayed safe with that terrible driver!
This weekend we were on our way home from a football me in Raleigh and experienced what was probably a drunk driver. It was terrifying. We waivered between calling 911 and just a local non emergency number. We ended up turning and weren't following the car anymore so we never made the call and I still wish we had alerted someone. I'm glad you made the call and are letting people know about this app.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great app! I am definitely going to download this ASAP! Thank you for sharing this information!
ReplyDeleteLauren,
http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.blogspot.com/
I signed up for several lessons (the 10 lessons package which was pretty good and signed up for few more additional lessons). Just took my driving test last Thursday and passed on my first try!
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