Rideshare services like Lyft and Uber are essential modes of transportation these days. In larger metropolitan areas, traditional cab services have even implemented similar app services, like Curb, to stay competitive in the market.
While these rideshare services are highly convenient, their safety often comes into question, especially if you’re riding alone, at night. So, to help provide you with a little more peace of mind on your next Uber or Lyft ride, here are our best safety tips for a safer rideshare experience.
1. Call your ride from a safe place
Request a ride from indoors to avoid lingering outside alone with your phone in your hand, making yourself vulnerable to potential threats. If you do have to call a car while waiting outside, avoid looking down at your phone the entire time. Call the ride and check the driver’s location every few minutes rather than constantly checking the tracker.
If you know you’ll have to wait outside, carry a personal alarm with you like the Panic Keychain Alarm. The ear-piercing sound this device makes will help call attention to yourself if you feel unsafe, plus the built-in light can help you see in the dark.
2. Make sure your rideshare driver is who they say they are
Before you get in the car, confirm that the license place, make and model of the car, and the driver’s photo match your assigned ride. Have the driver confirm your name as an extra precaution by asking, “Who are you here for?” rather than asking if they are there for you and volunteering your name.
3. Share your location
Let someone know your plans and where you’re going. Uber and Lyft also have features that let you share your trip with someone, and then they can track your ride through the app, too. Share your location with a trusted friend or family member if possible.
4. Carry pepper spray for added safety
Always keep pepper spray or pepper gel handy, especially if alone. You always want to have a way to defend yourself if you find yourself in an unsafe situation.
The Aim and Fire Pepper Gel with Trigger and Grip Deployment is the most popular formulation carried by police worldwide and contains UV Marking Dye to help police in suspect identification and now is available for civilians. Aim and Fire Pepper Gel offers you protection from a safe distance with a 15-foot (4.5-meter) range and provides protection against multiple threats with 13 bursts per gel cartridge.
The Strike-n-Spray Double Defender by Streetwise Security Products is ideal for close-quarter situations where you are grabbed by an attacker. The sharp edge on the bottom of the unit can be used to hammer strike your attacker and create enough separation for you to discharge the pepper spray and make your escape.
5. Keep your address secure
When you use a rideshare to get home, if possible, set your destination to a nearby safe place or a door or two down from where you live, to keep your address unknown to the driver. You can also wait until they’ve pulled away to go inside to ensure they’ve left.
6. Rate your driver
This step is often overlooked. By rating drivers and providing feedback, you help keep good drivers on the road and dangerous ones off the road. If you experience a bad ride or if your driver makes you feel unsafe, don’t be afraid to leave a poor rating or report them through the app. At the end of the day, this person is a stranger who you will most likely never see again. Leaving honest reviews and reporting odd, creepy, or aggressive drivers will help keep everyone safer in the long run.
7. Call for help
Both Uber and Lyft have emergency assistance buttons that let you call 911 directly from the app if something goes wrong or you feel unsafe.
8. Follow along on your map
Tracking your ride on your map outside the rideshare app adds an extra level of security in knowing the driver is following the correct route, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area. Open your map app, enter your destination, and follow along, recognizing any weird turns that seem off course.
9. Be a backseat rider
Always try to sit in the backseat, on the passenger side, if possible, especially if you are riding alone. This way you have an exit on either side, and there is more distance between you and the driver.
10. Ride with a friend whenever possible
There is strength in numbers, so riding with a friend or a group is the best safety choice—plus you can split the cost. If you’re going to a destination alone but would prefer to have someone else in the car, you can also utilize features like UberX Share to include another rider on your trip.