When you are dating, safety is an extremely important consideration. These days, being safe literally could mean the difference between life and death. No matter what your age, you are never too old to follow these dating safety measures.

Meet only when it feels right

When you date online, you don't ever have to date offline if you don't want to. You should never feel pressured to meet in person and you should do so only when it feels like the right thing to do. Trust your instincts. They usually are right.

Meet somewhere safe

Always agree to meet in a public location at a time when the public will be present. In the beginning, rarely is it a good idea to be alone with your date, or worse in a secluded location.

Arrange your own transportation

Drive yourself to and from the location of the first date. If you don't drive, ask a friend to drive you, take a cab or take public transportation. When you allow your date to drive you around you can lose control of the situation. Plus, if he/she picks you up from home, he/she will know where you live. If during the course of the date, the two of you agree to change locations, take your car to the new location. If you don't drive, then you should stay where you are.

Tell someone where you are

This is for your protection, not to make you feel like a child. Tell a close friend, coworker, parent, neighbor or other person the name of the person you are meeting, that person's contact information, the place you're planning to meet, and the approximate time you expect to return home. That way, if things go bad, someone will know to contact authorities and what to tell them.

Limit alcohol

Drinking excessively or doing other types of drugs is not a good idea on a first date because these types of activities can impair your judgment. You'll have plenty of other opportunities to indulge so just wait until another time. Besides you wouldn't want to make the wrong impression.

Make your own travel plans

If the first date will take place somewhere where you'll need to arrange for travel and/or a hotel room, always make these types of arrangements on your own. Once they are made, don't share this information with your date. Contact your date after you arrive to firm up the rest of your plans. And as stated above, travel to and from the location on your own and, especially when you travel out of town, make sure there is someone close to you who knows all of your trip details.

Use your judgment

While you're on your date, tune in to your instincts. They'll know if the date isn't going right so pay attention. If you need another opinion, excuse yourself and call someone you trust and with whom you can discuss your feelings. Contact the authorities if you think it is appropriate. You can feel like a fool later on, but that's a lot better than possibly becoming a statistic.

Carry your cell phone

And make sure the battery is charged. Enough said about that.

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