How to Keep Yourself Safe in an Uber Ride
Uber has dramatically disrupted the transportation industry, increasing people’s willingness to get into strangers’ cars. Although moving from one point to another has become easier, there are some risks while riding an Uber. Reduce your vulnerability with these tips on how to keep yourself safe in an Uber ride.
Major Ridesharing Risks
The major ridesharing risks include:
• Fake drivers– Criminals impersonate Uber drivers to confuse passengers. In the past few months, Samantha Josephson, a student at South Carolina University, got into a car she confused with an Uber and got murdered by its driver a few hours later. This sad story shows that you need to be cautious every time you take an Uber ride.
• Pedestrian and car accidents– Uber drivers can get involved in an accident. Thus, when riding with Uber, always think about the usual car safety. However, if you have a severe ridesharing accident, you can call an Uber accident lawyer who will fight on your behalf.
• Criminal drivers– In some cases, Uber drivers, even those that have passed Uber’s background check, have malicious intent. Currently, many women have sued ridesharing companies over alleged assault and sexual harassment by drivers.
Uber Safety Tips
Even though Uber screens its drivers and has built its technology keeping safety in mind, here are some precautions that you should take:
1. Wait for the Uber in a safe place
Since the Uber app will indicate where your driver is, ensure you get out to meet them once they arrive. Request your ride while still indoors. Standing outside holding your mobile device makes you an easy target for Uber driver impersonators, who will notice you and deduce that you’re in a hurry. While waiting, check for your driver’s rating. If they have a poor rating, you may consider canceling the trip.
2. Verify you’re getting in the right vehicle
When your driver arrives, ask them to park in a properly lit area and switch the indicators or flash the lights. This way, you will identify the correct vehicle and confirm the car’s model, make, and license plate from a safe distance. Only get into the car after you’ve verified that the make, model, license plate, and driver’s photo match the details shown in the app.
3. Take the back seat on the commuter side
This position allows you to watch your driver closely and safely exit the car from either side to avoid looming traffic. Be wary when your driver tells you to sit in a specific seat. Also, try the door handle once you get in the car, before the driver departs, to ensure the child locks aren’t engaged, and you can access an exit.
4. Share your whereabouts with a family member or friend
Uber app enables you to share the status of your trip, including the license plate and driver’s name, and photo. If you feel threatened, share this information with a friend or a relative and ensure the driver knows that you’ve shared it. In addition, once the car departs, call a trusted person and tell them you’re headed to location A, and you expect to arrive in B minutes. If there’s no one to call, you can contact your voice mail. This makes your driver know that you’re alert and some people know about your whereabouts.
5. Avoid riding impaired
Although riding an Uber is an ideal way to avoid drinking and driving, riding while impaired, whether you’re high, tired, or drunk, can increase your vulnerability to assault. Besides, you’re more likely to take the wrong vehicle.
6. Monitor the route
Ensure you monitor the route throughout the journey, either by checking the driver’s phone, which usually gets attached on the dash, or having your map open.
7. Trust your guts
If you feel unsafe, press the emergency button in the app and call 911. Whenever you call emergency services using the Uber app, the app gives you location information and ride details which you can send to the emergency dispatcher. Remember, if you don’t feel safe, you can end the trip early and ask your driver to exit at the nearest busy destination.
8. Send feedback
After every trip, the Uber app requests you to assess your ride and give feedback. If you got pissed off by anything during the ride, report it promptly. You might have arrived safely, but the next rider might be unlucky.
The tips outlined above can help you have your wits about you whenever you get into someone’s car. When combined, they can help you increase your situational awareness, take the required precautions before every ride, deter driver’s bad behavior, and offer you technical tools you need to call for help if anything goes wrong.
