to think its no longer safe to walk home after a few drinks on a Friday night anymore in most places?

[molka]

I used to walk home alone late in the evenings/early hours as a teenager and in early 20s in a rural town. Felt safe enough.
DH and I both did it all the time in our uni city 10-15 years ago. Busy city, felt safe enough.
Now in a (smaller) major city, don't go out anywhere near as much but always feel a bit uncomfortable especially now its cold and dark. I am staying up till nearly 1am to pick DH up from the train station tonight - I wouldnt have felt this level of concern a few years ago. Am I turning into my mother or do others feel similar?

There's been stabbings/ assaults etc in the news in recent months (as there has probably in every major city). There was a very tragic death of a university student, supposedly a random unprovoked event.

I think you are feeling your mortality with age. Most 20 somethings are not.

I don't believe it is more dangerous than years ago when I was a teenager/early 20s. It's just now there's so many more ways of reporting bad things happening that these incidents become more forefront in people's minds. Tomorrow night after (a rare!) night out I will get the last train home from a big city to the suburbs just like I would have then and walk 10 minutes home from the station.

You can’t even walk across the hospital car park after a shift that ends at night without being followed 😞

I've never walked home alone after a night out, to me it's never been safe and I grew up in what is considered quite a upper class city. I was 18, twenty six years ago so it's bit like things have changed. I took my safety at night seriously. In the village I live in now I wouldn't think twice about walking home from the pub late, but bit in towns and city's. I've had too many weird man shout things at me, or try to engage in conversation (in day light) for me to even consider risking it at night. That is not a stealth brag as none of these men would be touched with a barge pole by any sane woman.

I walk places by myself at night. As long as you stay in busy well lit areas (where possible), don’t get fall over drunk, be aware of your surroundings and avoid conflict situations you almost certainly will be fine. This applies equally to men as well as women by the way. In fact, as a woman you’re actually less at risk of being harmed by a stranger than a man (although more at risk from people you know).

My work is in the courts / justice area and completely random attacks on strangers with no provocation are pretty rare. Not to victim blame but plenty of assaults happen when men get into conflict situations and think they can be the ‘tough guy’. Lots of assaults and murders are also drug related (including drug debts) so if you’re not involved in that world you’re also much safer.

*not like things have changed.

I've just walked home alone in my home town. Have been doing the same walk for 30 years. Don't feel any less safe now honestly.

Ive never felt safe walking home. I watched various detective and crime dramas in my teens that showed me women are not safe especially after dark. Nothing has changed there and I will often have my keys in my hand and deliberately cross the road if I see a male coming the other way. I'm also constantly looking over my shoulder.

There was a spate of rapes not far from where that student was killed, about twenty years ago.

It's always been unsafe in major cities.

I feel very safe walking home, but I don't live in a city. In fact, I would have the opposite problem - fall over and knock myself out, and I might not be found till morning...

It's your perspective op, in terms of numbers it's actually safer than it used to be, but 24 hour news, high profile cases and age makes us warier.

I'm not sure I agree it's never been safe. It's true it's not risk free but few things are. You might equally say that driving on a motorway, having a hip replacement or running a marathon isn't safe. The risks of something happening are extremely low, but we wouldn't usually treat them with the sort of terror that walking home in the dark inspires.

Remember also that men are much more likely to be attacked than women when out at night. Google Danny Humble for example. It doesn't get a tenth of the publicity that attacks on women get.

same!

Where is this?

when I was young I used to walk back alone about a mile when I d been out for the evening, usually about 11 p.m. If Id been to the pictures I was more worried about Dracula leaping out at me from the bushes ! Nothing else ever crossed my mind !