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I am bringing my 14 year old daughter to DC for the week. I used to live in DC and rode the Metro frequently but that was more than 30 years ago. So, I am wondering about safety and knowing perhaps some of the precautions riders take. I've lived in major cities, including New York and Hong Kong, but safety concerns seem to be higher in Washington. Is that true? Also, is riding at night a bad idea?
DC has changed a lot in the past 30 years...for the better. Safety on the metro is great. I travel to DC regularly. As a matter of fact of all of the cities' train systems across the US, DC's Metro train system seems to me to be one of the safest. That being said, normal precautions such as not showing large amounts of cash, flashy jewelery, and not being completely absorbed in one's phone to the point of not being aware of your surroundings is advised just as in any city.
Taking metro around town to any of the popular tourist areas...you will be fine. Finding a reasonably priced hotel to call home base during the trip...that is the toughest part of a DC visit. :-)
I have serious concerns about safety on the Metro. There is a large population off thugs (yes, people who rob/stab others are thugs) who ride it regularly, looking for victims. I would agree that statistically, the likelihood of being a victim is not high--but then tell that to those who have been robbed or stabbed.
I have serious concerns about safety on the Metro. There is a large population off thugs (yes, people who rob/stab others are thugs) who ride it regularly, looking for victims. I would agree that statistically, the likelihood of being a victim is not high--but then tell that to those who have been robbed or stabbed.
Tell you daughter to keep the farecard in a safe place. I have heard of people grabbing a farecard as it exits a machine.
Perhaps get yourselves cross-body wallets or pouches. Then keep the farecards and a small supply of money in them. I also keep two or more supplies of money in different locations in my purse. In case someone steals the wallet, I still have money in another location.
If you are nervous about the Metro at night, take a cab. There are still reasonably priced and most take credit cards.
Bottom line the Metro is safe. A handful of recent highly publicized incidents do not make it unsafe when you consider the millions of people who ride the Metro every year and have nothing bad happen to them.
Of course there are risks but it's no more dangerous, and probably even less dangerous, than normal risks we take every day without thinking twice, like riding in a car (car accidents kill 30,000 people per year in the US and many many more injured).
I think the advice "take a cab at night instead of riding the Metro" is potentially dangerous advice as I would wager you are more likely to get into a car accident in a cab than be attacked on the Metro. I admit it's difficult to find numbers to quantify that, but I at least don't think there is much evidence that the cab is SAFER than the Metro.
Refusing to ride the Metro for fear of "safety" because of things like the NoMa stabbing is basically tantamount to refusing to swim in the ocean because very rarely people are eaten by sharks.
Seriously, just don't use paper farecars. It is really that simple.
Also all DC cabs are required to have CC machines, and I have not been in one recently which is not equiped.
I have serious concerns about safety on the Metro. There is a large population off thugs (yes, people who rob/stab others are thugs) who ride it regularly, looking for victims. I would agree that statistically, the likelihood of being a victim is not high--but then tell that to those who have been robbed or stabbed.
I have serious concerns about safety on the Metro. There is a large population off thugs (yes, people who rob/stab others are thugs) who ride it regularly, looking for victims. I would agree that statistically, the likelihood of being a victim is not high--but then tell that to those who have been robbed or stabbed.
There was also a recent opinion piece (which I can't seem to find) by a woman who was robbed by a male/female couple on the Metro recently.
Definitely keep your phone out of sight and stay away from the stops in deep NE DC or PG County.
The metro is safe. Most of NE is safe as well. Telling people to stay away from stops in NE DC is just flat out wrong. East of the river has some problem areas, and I would not suggest tourists go to that area. But NE DC is mostly Brookland (safe) and Ft. Totten (boring). RI Ave is not the best, but its nowhere near the worst either, and outside of NY Ave and N. Capital, which is a problem area that nearly everybody in DC has the street smarts to avoid when possible, most of NoMA is safe as well.
There is not a large population roaming bands of thugs on the metro looking to violently mug people either. You live in a delusional world controlled by fear if you think that. Those who engage in criminal behaviors such as these are a very small set of the population. The activity happening on the metro is smaller in general.
Calling it sensationalism is also pretty accurate in this case.
Additionally, in this case the metro stabbing was pretty accurately called pretty exceptional for the system. Homicides on the metro are actually very rare. The truth is the system is actually safer than DC in general. The large population of thugs on it is just not accurate.
Again being controlled by such fear is unhealthy, especially in the city. Being aware is healthy, being fearful as you clearly are is unhealthy paranoia.
The point of even addressing crime, is addressing actual crime, not mythical fear of what is happening.
The metro is safe. Most of NE is safe as well. Telling people to stay away from stops in NE DC is just flat out wrong. East of the river has some problem areas, and I would not suggest tourists go to that area. But NE DC is mostly Brookland (safe) and Ft. Totten (boring). RI Ave is not the best, but its nowhere near the worst either, and outside of NY Ave and N. Capital, which is a problem area that nearly everybody in DC has the street smarts to avoid when possible, most of NoMA is safe as well.
There is not a large population roaming bands of thugs on the metro looking to violently mug people either. You live in a delusional world controlled by fear if you think that. Those who engage in criminal behaviors such as these are a very small set of the population. The activity happening on the metro is smaller in general.
Calling it sensationalism is also pretty accurate in this case.
Additionally, in this case the metro stabbing was pretty accurately called pretty exceptional for the system. Homicides on the metro are actually very rare. The truth is the system is actually safer than DC in general. The large population of thugs on it is just not accurate.
Again being controlled by such fear is unhealthy, especially in the city. Being aware is healthy, being fearful as you clearly are is unhealthy paranoia.
The point of even addressing crime, is addressing actual crime, not mythical fear of what is happening.
This is the same guy on the NoVa forum who tells people to avoid yuppie, white bread Court House because it's too dangerous (!). He isn't to be taken seriously.
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