This blog is written by a 11th grader.

Safety is a powerful word. It is defined as “the the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.” In a country where crime, violence and lawlessness are rampaging, is anyone truly safe? Every day, there is a report on a bike accident or car crash. We see the wreckage on the news and sigh deeply. When will this destruction end? That question we ask ourselves can only be answered by, well, ourselves. Safety starts from within. Little things, such as actually waiting for the light to change before crossing or not reenacting Need for Speed at Hope Farm can really help us achieve our underappreciated goal of road safety. However, sometimes, no one honks, someone doesn’t see, sometimes the driver simply loses control, it is not in our power. Inevitably there is an accident. They say you haven’t lived in India if you’ve never experienced a road fight. The yelling, the pointing and the threats are a part of the whole experience, a few words can turn the road into a WWE fighting ring. I think we can all agree that it’s not all great. The disaster may also lead to death. The 2013 Mahabubnagar accident left 45 passengers dead. Fighting can sometimes turn violent as well. Our roads are definitely not safe anymore. Since safety starts within, us smart Indians have come up with a solution, the “Safety Application”. Yup, it’s exactly how Kareena Kapoor shows us on TV, if it’s activated, the app alerts the kick-ass Whitefield police and dedicated Whitefield Rising volunteers to break up the fight. If that wasn’t enough, the Bangalore police are notified too. Technology will kill us someday? More like save us from a whole lot of violence and verbal abuse. Not that all the credit should go to the app! In a world where no one has time to do anything anymore, the volunteers are determined to have a safe, fight-free world. Another way of keeping yourself safe is information. If someone tells you that there is a murderer in a dark alleyway, I’m sure you will be skipping down that road at midnight. Awareness, just like any other type of safety, starts from within. If you are unfortunate enough to experience any type of crime, speak out. However, it’s not an easy thing to do; you may want to simply forget about it. For the safety of others, please share your experience. This has obviously become easier with the internet. Anonymity can be preserved and the safety of the victim is not compromised. Many are starting to take a stand. Having a local website to share the incidents is an innovative idea. It warns the residents and dangerous locations can be pinpointed and monitored. This way, we can be extra aware in our already dangerous world, stopping crime before it happens. Safety isn’t impossible. If we can commit crimes, we can stop them too.