听说你一个人住？这些独居安全窍门要记好

如今，外卖服务发达，快递也时常送上门。

我们与陌生人打交道的场所从室外搬到了楼梯间这样的模糊地带。

当特定职业的冒充者，敲你的房门。安全与危险就只有一门之隔。

租房独居或者孤身在家的你，要如何识别危险，保护自己呢？

If you are homealone, or live alone, and somebody comes to the door, shout out "I got it" so that it seems like someone else is there with you and you are not alone.

如果你一个人在家，或者独居，有人敲门的话，你可以大喊一声“我去开！”，这样就会显得家里还有其他人，你不是一个人。

这可能是最常用的方法了——告诉门外的人你不是一个人。

但其实在此之前，还有很多预防工作可以做。

1 Give your apartment a safety check

给住处来个安全排查

It's a good idea to give your apartment a once-over for safety concerns — ideally before you even move in. Complete this safety checklist.

搬进去之前最好给你的住处来一次全面安全隐患排查，并完成这份排查清单。

①

Are any of your valuables visible from the street?

从外面马路上是否可以看到你家的贵重物品？

②

Are your doors made of either solid wood or metal clad?

房门是否是实木或者有金属包覆的？

③

Can you see who's at the door without opening it?

不开门的情况下是否有办法看到房门外的人？

④

Do you have all your mail held at the post office when you travel?

你出门旅行的时候，信件包裹是否可以寄存在邮局或代收点（而不是自家门口或信箱）？

⑤

Do you shred documents with personal information before disposing them?

有个人信息的文件是否在丢弃前都用碎纸机碎过？

⑥

Have all your doors been rekeyed since you moved in?

你搬进去后房门钥匙是否都换过？

2 Become BFFs with your neighbors

和邻居成为亲密朋友

If you're introverted, then you'd probably prefer anything else to chatting with neighbors. But make an effort to be friendly, if only for safety's sake.

如果你很内向，你可能会尽量不跟邻居打交道。但是最好还是表现得友好一点，就当是为了安全考虑。

In one way or another, your neighbors may be your best asset in times of trouble and they'll be more willing to lend a hand to a friend than they are to help out a stranger.

某种程度上来说，邻居会在你身陷麻烦的时候帮上大忙。比起帮一个陌生人，他们肯定更愿意帮朋友。

3 Don't fumble for your keys

别在门口找钥匙

The last thing you want to do is approach your front door and then spend five minutes fumbling for your keys.

绝对不要在门口花上5分钟找钥匙。

This is especially true if your neighborhood isn't the safest or the entry is poorly lit. Have your keys ready as you walk up, and get yourself inside smoothly and swiftly.

如果你住的地区不太安全或者单元楼道很昏暗的话，更加不要这样做。上楼前就准备好钥匙，打开房门之后快点溜进去。

4 Always throw parties

经常叫朋友来聚会

Burglars are less likely to target busy homes. So yes, this can be your excuse to throw a party.

窃贼不太会把人多的房子选作目标。所以说，威慑歹人也可以成为你在家轰趴的理由。

Having people over can make your home seem like there are more people living in it. It'll also show would-be intruders that a lot of friends have got your back.

叫朋友到家里来玩会显得你家有很多人住的样子。这也可以让入室窃贼明白，你有很多朋友保护你。

5 Have an emergency exit plan

准备一个紧急逃生方案

Create an exit strategy for worst case scenarios, such as fires or breakins.

为最糟糕的状况准备一个紧急逃生方案，以防火灾或者歹人破门而入。

Know where to escape to and at whose house you can stay safe and call the police. Having this plan tucked away will give you peace of mind and make handling such scary situations all the easier.

要知道往哪儿逃，去谁家比较安全，接着再报警。准备好这个紧急方案会让你放心不少，处理起紧急情况也会不慌不乱。

6 Be smart about spare keys

管理好备用钥匙

Burglars and other nefarious types know exactly where to check for spare keys.

入室窃贼或歹徒清楚地知道钥匙一般藏在哪儿。

So don't think you're being clever by hiding them in the mailbox, or underneath a carpet. Instead, you're better off leaving them to a friend or trusted neighbor.

所以不要自作聪明了，把钥匙放在信箱里和地毯底下都是不可取的。最好是放在朋友那儿，或者信任的邻居那儿也可以。

7 Always lock the door

永远都要记得锁门

Lock your doors, every single time. Even if you're just popping out to the garbage dumpster, or only stepping inside to grab something you forgot.

每次离家，都要锁门！哪怕只是出去倒个垃圾，或者开门拿个忘了的东西，都一定要锁门。

It may seem like overkill — especially if you live in a relatively safe district. But it only takes that one moment for someone to sneak in.

如果你住的地方比较安全，这么做听起来好像有点过头。但要知道，你一个不留神，歹徒就能溜进你家。

8 Get a monitored home security system

装一套家庭监视设备

A home security system is a great deterrent to would-be burglars. In fact, research conducted by a team from the University of North Carolina revealed that 84 percent of burglars said if they were confronted with a home security system, they would not attack the home.

入室窃贼很怕家庭安全监视设备。北卡罗来纳大学的一项研究显示，84%的入室窃贼表示如果家里有安全系统，他们就不会去那家盗窃。

Even if you live in a low-crime area, you'll rest easier at night knowing your abode is protected by a monitored home security system.

就算你住在犯罪率较低的地区，有了家庭安全监控摄像，你晚上也能睡得更香。

除了监控，未来或许还有其他“黑科技”可以帮到我们。

有人建议，现在的智能音箱也可以在安全领域大有作为。

技术人员可以开发一个“安全回复功能”，当你说出特定句子，如“别动，我去开！”的时候，就会激活该功能。

它就会用你想要的音色（如粗犷）大声说出：“可能是我的外卖到了，叫小哥放门口吧”。

又或者，它可以跟你吵架——门外的歹人听到里面人多，情绪还很激动，多半也会离开。

你甚至可以设置语音激活自动报警——如果你大喊若干次“救命”，它会默默拨通报警电话，发送位置信息，并调用家庭摄像头录制现场情况，留下证据。

当然，绝大多数敲门者都不是坏人。

有人说自己虽然一个人住，但也常常对着空气说“别动，我去开”，

原因是

——

不想让送餐员觉得自己要吃双人份。

Notes

fumble /ˈfʌmbl/ v笨拙地摸找

intruder /ɪnˈtruːdər/ n闯入者；入侵者

scenario /səˈnærioʊ/ n设想；方案；预测

dumpster /ˈdʌmpstər/ n大垃圾桶

abode /əˈboʊd/ n住所；家