61 percent of runners have changed when they run because of safety. A startup just built the vest to change that.

June 15, 2026

RunSafePRO launches on kickstarter as the first smart safety vest to combine rear radar, gps panic response, and automatic emergency detection in a single wearable

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, (June 15, 2026) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Something has been shifting in running culture, and most people have not talked about it out loud. Runners are shortening routes. They are leaving headphones at home. They are sharing live locations before heading out, avoiding parks once the sun goes down, and quietly dropping the evening runs they used to love. Not because they stopped wanting to move. Because moving alone no longer feels the same as it used to.

The data confirms what runners already feel, and it keeps getting worse.

A Gallup poll from October 2025 found that 53 percent of American women say they would be afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their own home, compared to just 26 percent of men. Overall, 40 percent of all Americans share that fear, the highest figure recorded in thirty years. Gallup also found that 31 percent of Americans say fear of crime has at some point stopped them from jogging or running alone in their area. A national US survey by personal safety company LogicMark, published in August 2025, found that 67 percent of American women named walking alone at night as their single greatest safety fear, ahead of unfamiliar travel and parking garages, and 38 percent said they take precautionary measures every single day just to feel secure.

The pattern holds far beyond the United States. An Adidas survey covering 9,000 runners across nine countries, including the US, found that 92 percent of women feel concerned for their safety when they go for a run, compared to just 28 percent of men. Nearly seven in ten women said they take specific precautions before heading out. A January 2026 analysis by Women’s Running found that 42 percent of female runners say safety concerns now shape their running schedule more than personal preference does, and that 61 percent have stopped running at certain times of day because of it.

This is not a niche concern. It is a structural shift in how tens of millions of American women experience their sport.

A wearable technology startup called RunSafePRO has been working on this problem for two years.

RunSafePRO is a lightweight connected safety vest that brings together rear radar detection, a GPS panic button, automatic hit-and-run detection, and adaptive 360-degree visibility in one wearable system. It runs in the background without requiring any active management during a workout. When built-in radar picks up a vehicle or cyclist coming from behind, the vest alerts the wearer through lights and vibration, even if they are wearing headphones. If the wearer stops moving without explanation and does not respond to an automatic check-in, the vest triggers an alarm and sends GPS coordinates to pre-selected emergency contacts without any manual action needed. No buttons to press mid-run. No app to open. It works while the runner focuses on running.

The idea came from a moment the founders have not forgotten. Someone close to them came back from a solo run badly shaken. Nothing had happened, but it easily could have. That moment crystallized what they had been watching grow in running communities worldwide: people were not quitting outdoor exercise. They were quietly rerouting their lives around risk.

“What struck us is that people were already changing their behavior before they even started a workout. Different routes, avoiding certain areas, deciding not to go out alone. That feels like a contradiction for an activity that is supposed to be about freedom. That is what we wanted to fix” states Peter Pompen, co-founder of RunSafePRO.

The product is intentionally designed to look and feel like performance gear rather than safety equipment. It is breathable, washable, and adjustable for running, walking, and cycling. Prototypes have been tested by runners, walkers, and cyclists across real-world conditions over the past year. An app subscription starting at $0.99 per month covers cloud infrastructure, GPS emergency messaging, and support for up to 50 configurable emergency contacts.

RunSafePRO launches on Kickstarter on June 16, 2026. Early backer pricing starts at $119, against a planned retail price of $175. More than 4,500 runners have already signed up on the pre-launch waitlist at runsafepro.com. The campaign pre-launch page is live now. “We did not want this to feel fear-driven. That was important to us from the start. It is really about people feeling comfortable again when they move alone. That is the whole point.”

RunSafePRO is patent pending. The company is based in the Netherlands and is targeting the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands as its primary launch markets.

runsafepro.com

Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/thesmartrunningvest/runsafepro-stay-aware-stay-in-control-keep-moving

About RunSafePRO

RunSafePRO is a Dutch wearable technology startup building intelligent safety systems for runners, walkers, cyclists, and outdoor athletes. Its flagship product combines radar-powered rear traffic detection, GPS emergency response, automatic incident detection, and adaptive 360-degree visibility in one lightweight connected vest. The Kickstarter campaign launches June 16, 2026. More than 4,500 runners have already joined the pre-launch waitlist.

Sources:

• Gallup, “Personal Safety Fears at Three-Decade High in U.S.,” October 2025: news.gallup.com/poll/544415/personal-safety-fears-three-decade-high.aspx
• LogicMark National Women’s Safety Survey, August 2025, via Security Today: securitytoday.com/articles/2025/08/19/walking-alone-at-night-is-the-greatest-safety-fear-of-women-nationwide
• Adidas Global Running Safety Survey (9 countries including US, 9,000 respondents), 2023, via Fox Business: foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/92-of-women-runners-say-concerned-safety-outdoor-runs-survey
• Women’s Running, “Why Women’s Safety Is Not a Seasonal Issue,” January 2026: womensrunning.co.uk/motivation/why-womens-safety-is-not-a-seasonal-issue

Media Contact:

Peter Pompen, co-founder of RunSafePRO, is available for interviews by phone, video, or email. For interviews, press inquiries, or additional information and assets contact

go@runsafepro.com

+31 (0)6 543 641 25

www.runsafepro.com

Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/thesmartrunningvest/runsafepro-stay-aware-stay-in-control-keep-moving