Staying Safe on Your Date – Steps to Take Before, During, and After

Dating can be fun, but it can also be dangerous. Here are some tips to make it safer and more fun for everyone.

10. Be mindful of your surroundings – When you’re out on a date, you want to make sure that you know exactly the kind of area you’re getting into. If it seems dangerous, it might just be!

9. Know creepy behavior when you see it – You wanna give a person the benefit of the doubt that they are decent, you can never be too sure.

8. Stay sober, at least if you are the driver – This goes without saying, but no matter how much you might enjoy some recreational drinking or drug use, you absolutely should avoid it if you are the driver on your date. Even if you aren’t, making sure that your partner is not driving while under the influence themselves is also your responsibility.

7. Don’t rush into dating someone too quickly – Getting too into someone too quickly can be met with a huge sense of “buyer’s remorse.” Things that might seem endearing can prove obnoxious. And even if they are the right person for you, they might be uncomfortable by how fast you are going with the relationship.

6. Let a friend know about who you’re dating, when, and where – This may seem drastic, but if you aren’t super familiar with your date – like, if you just met – having someone who knows your current situation is a great way to stay relatively safe if your date turns out to be dangerous.

5. Pack self defense tools such as mace – No matter if you are using it to defend yourself from your date or a stranger, this is definitely an important tool.

4. Pick a safe, fun place to go on your date – If you aren’t sure about your date, bringing them someplace safe for you is always going to be a good way to make the date go well for you.

3. Know the area well – Wandering into an area that you aren’t familiar with can often be a problem. Not only does it make everyone involved less safe, it can be awkward to try and find your way around.

2. Be cautious when going on a blind date – As fun as a blind date may seem, it can also be unsafe. Your top priority shouldn’t be looks as much as it is their behavior.

1. Never let yourself become taken advantage of – Basically, the #1 rule is to stay safe. You can never know what your date is up to, and while you shouldn’t let that spoil everything, becoming a target makes the experience that much worse.

This list exists mostly to help you if you’re in a bad situation, or need to avoid one. It’s not fair to put the impetus of staying safe on the potential victim, but until things get better, it’s valuable to follow these ideas.