The first of the twelve dating safety tips. Always let people close to you know when you plan to go out on a date. They won’t know when to be worried should something go wrong unless you give them ample information — when to expect you home, where you are going, and who you’re going with (including your date’s name and phone number). If anything changes regarding your whereabouts during the course of your meeting, let them know right away.
Make sure your cell phone has plenty of battery so that you can call someone if you need to.
Never ride with a stranger, even someone who you think you already know after chatting with them on the phone, email or online for quite some time. Instead, take your own transportation or ride a cab or Uber. This way you’re also not giving away your home or office address.
Do not ever invite someone you hardly know over to your house or go over to theirs. Always meet in a public place during that location’s peak hours so that there will be many people around. This will reduce the likelihood of you being harmed physically, and if something does go wrong you’ll have plenty of witnesses around.
Leaving your drink (or food) with someone you don’t know very well can lead to it being tampered with. Your date can easily slip a date rape drug into your drink so don’t accept a drink unless you open it yourself or watch it being prepared by a bartender. Most date rape drugs are colorless and odorless, making detection difficult. They are used to reduce your ability to control situations and create memory loss. Pay attention to your food and drinks at all times during your date. If you must leave to go to the restroom, order a fresh drink when you return to your table.
It’s never a good idea to drink more than two alcoholic beverages while out with someone you don’t know very well. Drinking a couple of alcoholic drinks will inevitably calm your nerves, but having more than that could leave you vulnerable. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and makes it easier for a potential predator to talk you into leaving a public place. This is one of the most important safety tips for dating, you will want to have your wits about you as much as you can. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to non-alcoholic beverages either.
If you feel uncomfortable at any point with what your date is saying, doing or implying, go home.
Protect your contact information on any dating or social networking site. Think seriously about how much of your personal information you’re freely giving up every time you post, tweet or Instagram. If using an online dating website, you can choose to have the individual respond to you through the site, rather than your email address, or you can set up an email address specifically for this purpose. Never share your personal information with someone you do not trust. Keep your address and financial information private until you truly know the person you are dating.
In the event that you get physically harmed, spraying pepper spray into your attacker’s eyes could lead to temporary blindness which could give you time to escape. Pepper Spray is legal in most countries and states. However, possession and/or use may be regulated or prohibited by law in some jurisdictions. If there are any questions, check with your local police. Never use Pepper Spray unless you feel you are threatened or you need to protect someone else.
Don’t misrepresent yourself in your communications with your potential dates such as sharing photos or other information that is untruthful, as this may make your date angry and perhaps lead to aggressive behavior.
Pre-screen your date by Googling them. If you find some questionable information or just get a bad feeling, follow your gut feeling and cancel, immediately!
Learn self-defense techniques so that you are better prepared to protect yourself in case of an attack. Check to see if there are any free self-defense courses that are offered in your city by calling your local fire or police station.