Staying Safe in the Age of Uber
On March 29th, 2019, University of Southern Carolina student Samantha Josephson got into her uber to drive home after a night out. The issue was, it wasn’t her uber. And the mistake ended up being fatal.
With ridesharing becoming an integral part of American life, citizens need to be given more education on how to use these services safely. In order to keep students safe while using services like Uber and Lyft, it is necessary that everyone follow two basic rules.
- Know the license plate of the car and ensure that it matches the license plate in the app
This is the first and most basic step. The app gives each rider valuable information into who is picking them up including the make of the car, license plate number, and even the driver’s name. Before signaling to a car, check the app and ensure that the approaching car matches the one that is picking you up.
2. Ask the driver “Who are you picking up?”
One of the dangers of the app is that people rely on the driver responding to their name, (eg. “Are you Brad?”) In this case, any person could respond affirmatively and convince ignorant youth to get in their cars. When someone requests a rideshare service, the driver gets to know the name of who they are picking up. Ask them who they are picking up and you can confirm that both the driver and the passenger are the correct people.
3. Tell someone where you are
Once you get confirmation that your driver is coming, send a trusted adult the information of the car, the driver, and your ETA. If they do not hear that you’ve arrived within 5 minutes, have them contact you or the authorities.
