Personal Safety Gadgets For The Streets

Walking the inner city streets can be dangerous at any time of the day – companies such as Highgear are offering up new gadgets that they say could help reduce this risk.

The Highgear SmartLatch Panic is one such gadget. It is essentially a ‘panic button’or personal alarm, fitted with a 95 decibel alarm so you can startle attackers and get the attention of passers by if you get into a dangerous situation.

The device features a moulded in grip and is designed to fit snugly in your hand as you walk or run.

It also features an emergency strobe and detachable key ring attachment so you don’t forget to carry it around with you.

Of course, it’s good to keep in mind that car alarms are often ignored by passers by, so a personal alarm may be no different! However it is only $26, so it might be worth the little bit of peace of mind.

Then there are the more extreme personal safety gadgets such as Taser International’s new consumer version of its ‘stun gun’ type device. Tasers are widely used by law enforcement personnel including in Australia, which began a controversial trial of the devices last year (for specialist police only).

The consumer version (Taser C2) was showcased at the CES 07 expo in Las Vegas, where it will be priced from $US299. It requires users to perform a security check before activation – and when used, it sprays out serialized confetti, so the user can be traced. The C2 has a 15 foot range and can shock up to 50 people without replacing the lithium battery. But the question is do the streets sound any safer with these babies on the loose?

See: www.nextdestination.com.au and www.taser.com

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Highgear SmartLatch Panic