Waze to tackle women’s safety fears as nights grow longer with new partnership
Crowd-sourced sat nav app Waze has partnered with a community safety organisation to ease women’s fears of travelling in darkness, as nights grow longer in the UK.
The partnership with SafeUP will see nearly 130 registered businesses flagged as ‘safe places’, which offer shelter for women, non-binary and genderqueer people feeling vulnerable when travelling solo.
Some 63 per cent of women ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel unsafe when walking by themselves, according to SafeUP research, with nearly 50 per cent feeling unsafe walking alone after nightfall – even in a busy public place.
The so-called ‘safe places’, which will appear as branded location pins for both drivers and commuters, will be available until the end of February next year.
“The onset of Christmas party season will see millions of revellers return to the streets to celebrate. We know that women, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals often put their lives on hold during the winter months in favour of staying home, and staying safe,” said Ulyana Guseva, a senior industry manager at Waze.
“This partnership is designed to support both drivers and pedestrians travelling this winter, empowering them to take back control of their daily lives, and hopefully making them feel safer.”