In my opinion most of the violent crime is gang-related and in the major cities which I avoid. I've pasted my guidelines below from a previous thread. To bad you can't go with your friend - we love Honduras!
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Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one or more of my kids and/or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow. I don't feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.

Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don't "party"
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I'm headed
:: I don't wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area - evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don't feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish

travel.state.gov

always dodgy insuremytrip.com wise

stay in tourist areas

go down a lot if you are going to dodgy areas

be very careful.

Odds are great you will be just fine in tourist areas

except for minor scams petty theft.

I think it really depends on how comfortable a person is with traveling and specifically how comfortable they are with central america. I didn't find my experience with the locals in Honduras much different than Guatemala. But again, I was primarily in Touristy Areas.

Some Hondurenos I met on Roatan from San Pedro Sula and several other locals I spoke to in the SPS airport did say that SPS at night is not a safe place due to gang violence. These local girls don't even drive themselves when they go out with friends at night, they have a special driver take them around and they go to areas that are considered safer. So considering this, if I were to fly into SPS again, I would pick a flight that arrives during daylight hours if I had the choice.