I'm going to a social thing tonight - getting home

[Barcelina]

I feel very relaxed about it but IME others have strong views about how a woman should get home, so interested to see what others would do.

It's only about 1.5 miles from home along busy roads. My preference would be to walk and have a couple of drinks. It will be daylight on the way there, but dark on the way back.

I know that if I walk, others (men) will offer a lift. These are people I know a bit but am not close to. I'm more comfortable walking alone than in a car alone with a man I don't know well. They will feel strongly that I shouldn't walk alone.

So I accept the lift, argue my point and insist on walking...or take my car?

I'd walk. If someone gives you the schpiel about never forgiving themselves if something happened, or won't take no for an answer, could you offer to turn on location sharing on WhatsApp or similar and let them know when you are home?

I could, but that's not my preference.

Tbh if I didn't feel totally comfortable getting in a car with a male acquaintance I probably wouldn't share my live location and home address with him either. He might see it as an invitation to pop over some time (or worse).

But then I'm violently and somewhat irrational opposed to the modern phenomenon of sharing locations!

Walk and say thanks for the concern but it's what I always do

Been there

people don't like it when you say it's safer than getting in a car with an unknown man but they do stop because they see the truth of it

I was walking around London though so it was always busy. I'd also not have a drink and just drive as it makes life easier all
round.

Can't you get a taxi?

Why would a taxi be safer than a lift from a man she knows? Assuming the male acquaintance hasn't been drinking.

At that time, in residential areas away from busy town centres, the people you are most likely to meet are dog walkers.

OP says it's a mile and a half of busy roads.

Still, not my concern.

Busy roads are generally less dangerous than quiet roads where walking home is concerned.

The other option is to leave without saying goodbye, kind of depends on the social thing. E.g. if it’s mingling at a gallery launch it’s very easy to leave on your own terms.

True. My station is on a main road, and my road leads off it further down. There is a slightly shorter way if I turn earlier and approach my road from the other end, which I merrily take in the daytime, but it's all blocks of flats and a few houses, and feels very empty at night.

So at night I take the main one as it's well lit and busy with traffic and takeaways/pubs open.