To think men should be more self aware when walking behind women?

As an older man I'd say we're absolutely aware. If I find myself behind a woman I'll either quickly drop back or cross over. I have 3 daughters and I'm acutely aware of how uncomfortable it can feel

As a woman walking by yourself, you’re taught to do things to keep you safer. One is staying on the phone with someone. So if something does happen to you, whoever you are calling/texting can get help straight away.

Maybe it’s the girl just didn’t want to put her phone down and she needed to be more aware. Maybe she was fully aware of your presence and texting someone to try to keep herself safe. It might not be that she didn’t notice you, it might be that she pretended not to notice you. Another way to try and keep yourself safe, if you don’t look at the danger and pretend you’re not there, maybe the danger won’t notice you.

jeez have you commented just to wind people up? Women are more than aware of their surroundings which is how they know they feel scared or uneasy 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄

I'm aware of this and don't walk close behind women (I am a woman, but I am big and stompy). Sometimes I say hello or similar as I pass (widely) so they are aware I'm just a big stompy woman.

Some men are. I walk in the evenings a lot, when it’s dark, and there are men who will walk in the road (quiet road) so they’re not right by me on the pavement. And I appreciate it. Some men should definitely be more aware of themselves around women. Close proximity is certainly a warning sign to me that I’m potentially in danger.

I had a bad experience recently and the police told me to carry criminal identifier self defence spray (can buy online), it’s a legal alternative to pepper spray.

I was walking out of my house on a remote tow path and I saw a man stood on a path on the left. I was annoyed as he started walking as I got level with the path so I thought surely he would know to wait a few moments. I slowed down to let him go past but he didn’t so I sped up and so did he. I came to a bench so thought I’d sit down and let him past but he stopped just before the bench. I looked him in the eye as I thought maybe he wasn’t paying attention and it would prompt him to apologise and carry on but he didn’t. He just looked back at me so I stood up and went back the way I had just come and he followed me again back the way we’d just come. I decided to run at that point and so did he but I’m a runner and I managed to get some distance between us. I have never locked my front door so quickly. A few days later I saw an e-fit of someone wanted for stalking and it was the same man.

when I’m running and come up behind someone, I always shout hello before I get there so they don’t jump. It’s scary out there!

And that if fucking grim, but as I said she didn't even notice me step into the road to pass

Fair play to your daughter and friends. They should teach that sort of thing in school. Actually my wife has pointed out that the fact that the school bans phones during the day leads to their intense concentration on them

Completely agree but it's a very unlikely event (thank the Lord) but these things happen and I think everyone male and female should be alert to the danger others could possibly cause. I've seen young men attacked for no reason on nights out and I've walked through some pretty dangerous places in this country and abroad and been prepared to run.

But phones are a serious risk to personal safety. On a humourous note I watched a school boy walk into a lamppost when not paying anything but his phone attention

Apologies, I tried to edit my post but there are so many typos now (i really should read what I write before I press 'enter').
It was truly the most scary experience of my life and I'm now in my forties.
Even though it is now 2026 and feminism is in full force with women striving to be as important as men and have equal opportunities, it doesn't take from the fact that men are, in almost all circumstances, bigger and stronger than women, and some are unhinged.
I should never have been sent to a remote location as a young female. No child should have been sent there at all infact.
Whilst men tend to get bad rap for simply being male, there is reasoning behind it.

She was aware of your presence, maybe she was on a video call, she saw you before you saw her, my daughter and her friends do this so if they’re grabbed their pal can call the police.
You are correct you could have grabbed her, mobile phone or not, watching for a predator or not won’t stop him. That’s the reality of life as a woman.

My son, when at uni, told me he had experience of this when walking with a friend late at night. They saw a lone female ahead so him and his friend cross the road and talked about something rubbish like Minecraft so they could sound un-threatening. I was quite proud of him.

My only comment is that often people don't have the awareness of someone being close behind and block the way so there is often no safe way to pass.

I don't often walk in areas alone with lone women about but as a man and a big one at that, I'm aware of the perceived threat I pose.

What concerns me is the number of women (and men) who are glued to their phones and taking no notice of the environment. I walk rather than drive these days and a couple of weeks ago when it was still dark at 5pm, I walked past our local comp. A young lady in her uniform was walking in the same direction, the road goes past a couple of fields and a cemetery just beyond the school, if I had evil intent I could easily have grabbed her as he whole attention was on her phone. In fact she didn't even look up as I stepped into the road to pass her

I think women are hyper aware of their surroundings and most men I know try their hardest to stay back or cross roads so I always take a man too close to me as a threat and change my behaviour too. Its horrible what we have to go through as we genuinely don't feel safe out at night!

People are free to walk where they like. Women should be aware of their own surroundings.

That would worry me, most men I pass try to avoid me, sometimes when they pass by I nearly expect them to grab me. 🫣
Men who give half a shit will try to avoid walking behind you.

I always remember when I was around 13 years old. I was on work experience for two weeks which my school had organised for everyone in my year.
I was to work as an administrative assistant in an office deep within an industrial estate. This industrial estate was through some gates at the very end of a long street, the street was set off of a busy main road. The nearest shop or anything public was a good twenty minutes walk from the main road.
I always hated leaving there after work as it was usually dark and eery.
One morning on my way to 'work', I was walking down the very, very long main road. There was usually no one else on the road, as there was nothing around except industrial estates.
I suddenly became aware that there was someone walking on the same side of the road, some distance behind me. I could see them from my peripheral view. I looked around a few times just enough to see that it was a man.
I set myself little 'goals', for instance, I would speed up a bit and watch from peripheral view to see if he kept up with me..which he did. So, I changed my speed again, which he also kept up with. I decided to walk further to one side of the path, he too walked on this side. Suddenly I felt distraught with panic at this point as thought this is definitely real - a man was really following me!! I was now speed walking still on this long main road but with no one around for me to shout to for help I was so scared. I then remembered that there was always a burger style van parked off of the main road and down the street that led to the industrial estate and that it was always open with at least one customer outside of it.
So I sped up as fast as I could and I prayed that I made it round the corner to atleast get in the view of the van, so that I could atleast shout to them, or so that thisan following me would be "put off" upon seeing other people.
But when I turned the corner, the van was locked up and no one was in it!! I felt sick to the stomach and I literally ran for my life!! I ran as fast as I could down that street and I did not stop until I got inside the gates of the industrial estate where I knew I would be safe as there was always people in there!!
When I finally stopped,l when I knew I was safe and I turned around to check behind me and look back up the stteet. There stood the man at the very top of the street just standing there with his body turned so it was fully facing down the street inynditrction, staring at me. I was shitting myself! I was never so scared iny entire life at the realisation that I was not being ridiculous but infact I was actually being followed and was so close to have been kidnapped or raped!

I ran inside the building and begged the men who were in the office at the time to please drive me home after work, after I explained to them what had just happened. I didn't feel safe and I was petrified that he would be waiting for me after work. But it was weird, one man just sort of gave me a side eye! I honestly didn't expect that!
I left work earlier that day and got a cab home and I never went back there ever again.

my sons know not to walk closely behind anyone, especially women and in the dark. We’ve talked through various scenarios and when they should look to cross over.

not policing their clothes though, if they are out and it’s cold, they can put their hood up!!

I've had this happen to me quite a few times over the last couple of years. I am a very slow walker (osteoarthritis in my hips) so by rights,you'd think anyone walking behind me would soon get fed up and overtake me. But, several times,they've not overtaken me. I've walked slower and slower and so have they. It's only when I've actually stopped completely that they've overtaken me! And yes it is ALWAYS a man!