Online dating is the perfect way to find a date for Valentine’s Day, but how can you be sure if you’re going to be safe? How can you make sure your Valentine’s Day won’t end in disaster? Use some data!
Safest States for Online Dating
Some states are just safer than others when it comes to online dating. What sets some states apart from others? The answers are confusing, but it seems to be tied to sex education in home and school.
Here are the safest states that scored the lowest for violent crimes, making them the safest for online dating:
- Vermont
- Maine
- Virginia
- New Hampshire
- Idaho
And the states with the most violent crime, making them dangerous for online dating are:
- DC
- Alaska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Tennessee
But violent crime isn’t the only worry. If your next date gets wild, you might be at risk for STDs. Here are the states with the highest and lowest instances of reported STDs.
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The cleanest states are:
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Idaho
- Wyoming
And the worst states for STDs?
- Washington, DC
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- Alaska
- Michigan
There seems to be a strong relationship between states that rank poorly for both violent crime and STDs. If you dig deeper, you can see these same states avoid sex education in public schools and many have higher instances of church attendance. You could argue that they’re simply not talking about sex and the result is a more dangerous environment for online dating.
Background Check Your New Boo
You can protect yourself no matter what state you’re in by doing a background check on your date. This isn’t the most romantic, sexiest thing you can do, and we suggest you keep it to yourself, but it’s a great way to make sure you’re safe.
Use one piece of information, like phone number, email address, name or address, and you can start finding public records, social media profiles and criminal records on your new boo.
You can see where they’ve lived, who their possible roommates or family are, and even their social media profiles. See if they’re still married, or recently divorced, find out if they have kids or not, and see if they’ve gotten arrested before.
While you’re at it, why not check yourself out too? What comes up when someone searches for your public records? You may shocked to see how much dirt you can dig up on someone.
How to Stay Safe on Dates
Still worried about staying safe on your next date? Follow these tips to keep yourself out of trouble:
- Let friends know where you’re going and when to expect you home. You can even get an app to alert them if you don’t come home in time
- Go on a date to a public place, the more people the better
- Don’t get drunk—watch your drinks
- Don’t give out your financial information – there’s no need to share how much you make, your bank, and certainly not sensitive financial information with your honey
- Use a special email address and phone number just for dating
- Trust yourself – if something seems wrong, leave and don’t think twice about going
Do your due diligence before you leave to meet your date and you’ll be that much safer.