The 4 Benefits of Situational Awareness

Written By Nathan Meehan Ph.D.

There are many reasons why people commit crime, but one of the most common driving factors is opportunism. They tend to choose the time, place, and target for their offenses based on a calculation of opportunity versus risk, seeking out situations where the potential payoff is high and the risk of getting caught is low. 

For example, people looking to commit street robbery often strike in the middle of the night because it’s easier to avoid detection and reduces the chances of getting caught. They also tend to choose areas with medium pedestrian density, where there are enough potential targets around, but people are still far enough apart that they cannot protect each other. 

Thankfully, there are ways to reduce criminal opportunity and enhance your personal safety.  In short, you can make yourself a harder target. 

In this post, we’ll delve into the relationship between opportunity and crime and will explain how situational awareness can help you anticipate potential threats in your environment, recognize when something seems off, and know how to respond. We will also introduce you to our Situational Awareness for Safety course.

The Crime Triangle

The relationship between crime and opportunity is illustrated using the Crime Triangle, which is based on Routine Activities Theory. 

Essentially, every crime requires a motivated offender who has the desire to commit a crime and the opportunity to carry out the desired act. There are two things increasing opportunity. First, the motivated offender must cross paths with the potential victim at the same place and time. When choosing a potential target, offenders look for someone who appears vulnerable and easy to overpower or subdue. Second, the offender has to feel that their chances of getting caught are low, like when surveillance (e.g., police officers, bystanders, cameras) is lacking in the area.

According to research, you can decrease your victimization risk by altering or eliminating one side of the Crime Triangle. While being a victim of a crime is never your fault, certain situational factors can affect your likelihood of becoming a target, whether it be positively or negatively. Sometimes altering certain situational factors can deter an offender by decreasing the perceived rewards or by increasing the perceived risks of getting caught. 

For example, installing motion sensor lights and cameras at your home could deter a potential offender from breaking in because the added surveillance increases their likelihood of being caught. Similarly, changing up your routine can disrupt predictable patterns and deter offenders who rely on familiar habits to identify potential targets. When it comes to your car, you can remove your car as a potential target by parking in a secured garage rather than on the street, or by hiding valuables out of sight.

Even if a crime is not completely prevented, altering situational factors can still mitigate the harm posed by even the most motivated offenders. For example, a 2024 research study found that situational crime prevention tactics reduced casualties during active shooter situations. 

These are only a few examples of how being proactive can reduce your risk of victimization and enhance your personal safety.

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness also plays a huge role in enhancing your personal safety. Situational awareness is the ability to perceive and understand what's happening around you, particularly in relation to potential threats or changes in your environment. 

It involves being aware of your surroundings and being cognizant of critical elements in your environment, such as people, objects, and activities. Second, it involves recognizing whether any of these elements are unusual or suspicious. Third, it involves anticipating whether a situation could become dangerous, and knowing when to exit situations or seek help.  For instance, monitoring changes in people’s body language, emotional cues, and unusual interactions can provide early warning signs of escalating conflicts. 

Situational awareness also enhances decision-making and can help you rapidly assess situations and quickly take action, while still making informed decisions. This skill is crucial for personal safety in various contexts, including everyday life, workplace environments, and emergency situations.

For example, being distracted on your phone heightens your chances of being targeted by opportunistic offenders who exploit moments of inattention to victimize people. In contrast, actively scanning the environment and skipping the headphones can help you identify anomalies, allowing you to make split-second decisions to evade unsafe situations if needed.  

In other words, being more aware of your environment can prevent you from unknowingly walking into dangerous situations and help you make decisions that can possibly save your life.

4 Benefits of Situational Awareness

Situational awareness and paying attention to your environment helps you anticipate potential threats and notice when something just doesn’t look right. Paying attention to our surroundings can help in four main ways.

1. Personal Protection

Being aware allows you to maintain a state of vigilance in your surroundings and swiftly identify red flags in the environment. This gives you a chance to exit the area or call for assistance before any violence occurs or escalates.

For example, if you notice someone acting aggressively or pacing back and forth in a way that seems threatening, your awareness might prompt you to leave the area or seek help from nearby security personnel before the situation escalates. Staying focused on your surroundings also reduces the likelihood of being caught off guard by someone who may want to do harm. 

To learn more about how situational awareness can enhance personal safety, check out our companion post, “Awareness: A Key to Women’s Self-Defense,” on our blog.

2. Workplace Violence Protection

Situational awareness enhances workplace violence protection by enabling employees to recognize warning signs and potential threats early on. By staying alert to their environment, workers can identify unusual behavior or escalating tensions, allowing them to take preventative actions. Many employers also maintain logs of any incidents of violence and problematic behavior so there is a thorough record that can be used to identify patterns or areas that require further investigation. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) emphasizes the importance of situational awareness training as a key strategy for workplace safety. These programs teach employees how to recognize early warning signs of potential violence, apply communication skills to potentially de-escalate volatile situations, and know when to activate emergency response protocols. Training also should include guidance on maintaining an incident log and how to report concerns to security personnel effectively.

For more information on workplace violence prevention, check out our companion post, “Preventing Workplace Violence,” on our blog. 

3. Reacting in Emergency Situations

Situational awareness is vital not just for preventing violence, but also for managing emergencies effectively. In emergencies, situational awareness helps individuals respond swiftly and effectively during emergencies. 

For example, during events like earthquakes or hurricanes, trained individuals can identify safe areas and escape routes, as well as locate supplies or communication tools. Relatedly, individuals who are trained in situational awareness for fire safety can quickly locate emergency exits, escape routes, fire extinguishers, or safe areas in the event of an emergency. Situational awareness is also applicable in an active shooter scenario and can help individuals recognize exits, barricade options, and safe hiding spots, as well as understand when to evacuate or shelter in place.

4. Driver Safety

Situational awareness is also useful in everyday situations, such as driving. It allows drivers to anticipate potential hazards, such as pedestrians, cyclists, or sudden changes in traffic conditions. By staying alert, drivers can respond more quickly to unexpected events, such as a vehicle stopping suddenly or a traffic light changing.  

Awareness of the driving environment also encourages drivers to limit distractions, allowing them to better anticipate potential hazards on the road.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving plays a role in the majority of vehicle collisions. Thankfully, situational awareness training can reduce distracted driving and help keep people safe on the road, according to research.

Situational Awareness Training

No matter where we are, there is always a possibility of danger whether it be small or large. Situational awareness can help you stay alert to our surroundings, identify when something doesn’t look right, and make informed decisions on when to avoid certain situations or seek help. Ultimately, this can help you reduce your victimization risk.

Second Sight’s Situational Awareness for Safety course is available in multiple formats. Our 1-hour online training is available right now and can accommodate any number of people. Alternatively, we have a 2-hour virtual and in-person instructor-led training. 

In both, we teach how to systematically observe the environment, recognize risks, and know how to respond based on your observations.  This training incorporates knowledge, tools, and techniques that have been used by law enforcement and military personnel across the world, adapted for individuals who want to enhance their personal safety in everyday life. This course is relevant for anyone who wants to be more aware of their environment and avoid threats. 

With a proven track record of providing this training to thousands, we are committed to empowering people from all industries and walks of life to enhance their personal safety using situational awareness. 

For more information on evaluations of this training in the workplace, check out our companion post, “Situational Awareness in the Workplace,” on our blog. Visit the personal and workplace safety page on our website to learn more about this course and how to get it for your team.

Nathan Meehan Ph.D.
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