Sexual Assaults Reported in Rideshares
A discussion involving safety against sexual assault in ridesharing services has surfaced nationally, but how do the numbers translate to the Hudson Valley community?
Uber released its first safety report to the public on Thurs., Dec. 5 to disclose, “details on Uber’s safety progress, its processes, and data related to the reports of the most serious safety incidents occurring on our platform,” as stated on the company website’s Safety page.
The report stated that, in the United States, there were 3,045 sexual assault during its rides that were documented in 2018, in addition to nine murders and 58 deaths caused by accidents.
“The numbers are jarring and hard to digest,” said Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer, in a recent New York Times article. “What it says is that Uber is a reflection of the society it serves.”
Uber stated that the volume of incidents represented just 0.0002 percent of Uber’s 1.3 billion rides in the country last year.
Some Lyft passengers have expressed similar complaints.
The New York Times reported on Thurs. that 19 women have sued Lyft claiming the ridesharing service failed to prevent drivers from assaulting them, then ignored the complaints.
The Hudson Valley has also seen incidents involving sexual assaults in rideshares in the 2018 year.
In early June, a Westchester woman was being driven home from Manhattan in an Uber when she fell asleep in the car and awoke to the driver, 26-year-old Iqbal Hussain, in the backseat touching her leg, as reported by the Putnam Daily Voice. When the woman tried to fend off the attack, Hussain restrained her with such a force that he fractured her shoulder. As she continued to fight him off, the driver exited the backseat of his vehicle and took the woman home as if the incident never occurred.
Hussain was arraigned in Dec. of that year on charges that include sexual abuse, assault and unlawful imprisonment.
The New York Police Department counted 533 sex crimes and rapes that occured on transit systems in 2018.
This incident seemed to be isolated and not situations people in Dutchess County often witness.
“[When I used Uber] my driver was actually kind, so I never felt uncomfortable,” said Wappingers Falls resident Santaliz Guale-Hilario. Hilario, 18, continued saying, “I felt completely safe, since I was with some friends.”
Alexander Meisler of Poughkeepsie also did not experience feeling uncomfortable when using rideshares in the area.
“I’m usually never expecting anything bad to happen to me, but I don’t know. I’m also a guy,” said Meisler.
Ridesharing was adopted in the Hudson Valley on June 28, 2017 following much debate within the New York State Senate, as well as an online petition that called for lawmakers to pass legislation that allowed the service.
“Allowing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the Hudson Valley is simple common sense,” stated New York State Senator Terrence Murphy in a 2016 release. “It is ridiculous to be allowed access to these services when we are in the five boroughs but not in our hometowns. It is time to finally approve ridesharing for all New Yorkers and stop this paralysis due to over analysis.”
There are several ways that people who use these apps can take smart safety precautions. It is recommended that users of these apps make sure the driver and car information matches the details described in the app, that they ask the driver the name of the person they are picking up, checking to see if the child lock is on before closing the door, and utilizing the “share status” feature that sends the driver’s name, photo, license plate, and location with to your family or friends.
