Being a single girl in Jozi means I drive myself around. A lot. Despite the introduction of Uber and the Gautrain our public transport is still not up to scratch. Let me tell you something though, driving home alone after 10pm at night is always a bit nerve wrecking. Last year I shared an app called Kitestring with you. It automatically “checked in” at a certain time. If you did not respond it sent a message to a select number list of friends or loved ones.
While a great concept it was slightly flawed. I’ve found a better app to keep women safe on the road, day or night. It’s the Santam App’s Be Safe functionality. Santam introduced an app that is free for download for Android or iOS users. While some features are exclusively for Santam clients there are some impressive features that are free. One of these features is Be Safe.
Be Safe allows you share your journey from start to end with a selection of numbers that you choose. Those numbers will then be notified once you’ve reached your destination. This is especially useful if you’ve maybe gone on a date and are driving home alone or are heading through a less than great part of town in the evening. If, for whatever reason, your trip is delayed, the app will also notifiy those numbers via SMS (maybe you find another pumping party or need to make a quick stop at the garage for chocolate… this happens a lot).
Be Safe isn’t only limited to driving in the evenings. There are various activities you can select which also include cycling, running or walking. You enter your start point, destination and the time you’ll take. Choose the friends and family you want to be your “guardians”. They can then track your progress on a live map or via SMS if they don’t want to download the app.
Be Safe isn’t only an app to keep women safe on the road but can also be used to track your little ones when they go to their first concert or decide to go on their first “no parents” holiday. Stalking your significant other using the Santam app is discouraged though.
