How To Stay Safe On A Date.

July 28, 2020

Dating safely is extremely important, regardless of whether you and your date have previously met. Whether your date is a mutual friend, someone you have known for a while or someone you’ve met on a dating site, the same precautions must apply to all. Below are some great ideas for how to stay safe on a date.

Perhaps a friend or family member found their true love via a dating app, and their success has convinced you to try it for yourself? Online dating can be beneficial for multiple reasons – one of them being that you have the opportunity to get to know your date before agreeing to meet up. A lot of people can feel uncomfortable around someone they’ve never met, therefore aiming to find similar interests to jump-start your conversation can help to take the pressure off.

Lots of people turn to dating sites and dating apps in search for their happily ever after. While it doesn’t happen often, unfortunately there are numerous tragic stories that relate to meeting a date for the first time. Therefore, it is important that you know how to stay safe on a date.

• Arrange to meet in a public place for each date until you feel comfortable in their company. If your date plans to take you somewhere you’re not familiar with, consider suggesting somewhere that you recognise.
• Refrain from giving out your home address or phone number until you are sure you trust your date.
• If you have any concerns about your date, text a friend and ask them to call you regarding an ‘emergency’. Although it may seem a cliché, it gives you an excuse to leave, alone.
• Trust your instincts. More often than not, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Have a few excuses up your sleeve about where and why you need to go. 
  Maybe the babysitter has messaged, or your friend is going through a terrible break up and needs your support. It could be that you simply don’t ‘click’, or it becomes obvious that your date isn’t who they pretended to be online. Whatever the reason, always trust your instincts and leave immediately if you feel uncomfortable.
• Never leave your drink unattended until you trust your date completely. In the UK each year, hundreds of people are thought to be victims of drink-spiking – some drinks are spiked with alcohol while others are spiked with drugs.

Date rape drugs, also known as ‘club drugs’, are the most common drugs used for spiking, and are especially dangerous when mixed with alcohol. In extreme cases, date rape drugs can lead to comas and death. For the same reasons, don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t trust either.

Before you go out, it is a good idea to plan your journey to get you back home. Check the timetables of public transportation, pre-book a taxi or make arrangements to be collected by a friend or family member.

‘Ask for Angela’ is the name of a campaign that started in Lincolnshire, England and is widely recognised among various venues, since starting back in 2016. If a person, male or female, doesn’t feel comfortable or safe, they can approach a member of staff and ask for ‘Angela’.

This codeword is a discreet way of expressing that you feel threatened and vulnerable, and a member of staff will do what they can to remove you from the situation. They will either walk you to your car, call a taxi on your behalf and escort you to it, or contact the police.

This campaign isn’t used everywhere, but staff are being trained on what to do within the establishments where Ask for Angela is being implemented. Posters will also be displayed in the bathrooms of these venues.

You can ask them to add you as a friend on their Facebook or Twitter account, so you can see their friends and what sort of personality they have. They will also be able to see you as well, so use Notty.co.uk to check your online self first.