Rideshare Safety Tips
Lyft recently introduced Women+ Connect, a feature being rolled out in select cities that matches women and non-binary drivers with other women and non-binary riders. Rideshare safety is an important concern for everyone, but especially for women. The in-app option was added to Lyft’s services after 17 new lawsuits in 2022 accused the company of failing to protect women from physical and sexual assaults. Uber offers their own version, Women Rider Preference. These features benefit both riders and drivers, because not only are riders at risk of assault during a rideshare, so are drivers. In 2020, Uber reported that riders were the accused party in sexual assaults 43% of the time.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any more recent safety information from either rideshare company, because neither Uber nor Lyft have reported data since 2020 and 2021 respectively. This despite a quote prominently displayed on Uber’s three-year-old report stating: “Safety should never be proprietary, and it’s our intention to make an impact well beyond our own company, encouraging others to be more transparent with their data and to share best practices that can make everyone safer.”
Despite the updated preference options offered by the rideshare companies, it is important to note that these features are preferences, not guarantees. They may not be available everywhere, and women and non-binary drivers are in the minority. As usual, we advise women to take their personal safety into their own hands. So irrespective of app safety features, here are some essential safety tips for women using rideshare services.
Safety Tips for Riders
Wait in a safe place: While waiting for your ride, choose a well-lit and populated area. Wait inside or close to a building, if you can. This will reduce your profile for potential robbers or attackers. If you’re standing on the curb, you’re an open target for someone to grab your purse or pull you into a car.
Double-check the car license plate and driver details: Before getting into the vehicle, confirm that the car color, make/model, license plate, and driver's photo match the information provided in the app. This is especially important if you’re waiting in a busy area where a lot of people are waiting for their ride. Be especially careful not to get into a ride that you didn’t call. Predators drive around pretending to be rideshare drivers whose ride cancelled on them, so they just “happen” to be available.
Sit in the back seat on the passenger side: This provides the greatest distance between you and the driver. It allows you to have a better view of the driver and the road, and it also makes it easier to exit the vehicle on either side, if necessary. Never agree to sit in the front with the driver, it’s not only against rideshare regulations, it puts you in close proximity for an attack. Also, never get into a rideshare that already has a passenger in the front seat.
Don’t accept any drinks from the driver: Some may be well-intentioned and look to offer a more enjoyable ride experience. But others may have introduced a drug into the drink. Play it safe. Bring your own drink or wait till you get to your destination.
Track Your Destination Route: Bring your destination up on your phone map app and follow your ride progress via GPS. Make sure that the driver isn’t veering off the path to your destination.
Share your trip details with someone: Let a friend or family member know that you're taking a rideshare and share your trip details, including the driver's information and your estimated arrival time. You can also use an app or wearable tech that allows your contact to track your location via GPS.
Keep the windows down if possible: This can make it easier to call for help or exit the vehicle if you feel unsafe.
Trust your safety intuition and instincts: If something feels off or you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to end the ride and exit the vehicle in a safe location.
Call For Help: If necessary, use the “panic button” within the app and/or call 911.
One Safety Tip for Drivers
Our biggest suggestion for rideshare drivers is a dash cam. We’d really like to see Uber and Lyft make a corporate deal with one of the dash cam companies and provide them to their drivers – or at least reimburse the driver for it.
Dash cams are relatively inexpensive, especially when considering what you’re investing in: A potential deterrent in the event of physical or sexual assault, evidence if something does occur and also in the event of a car accident. We’re partial to cloud dash cameras, because they are continually transmitting data to the cloud in real time. That way, the information doesn’t reside on the device itself. So, if the dashcam is disabled, either accidentally or on purpose, the data is safe and you can retrieve it to show law enforcement.
We particularly like the dash cams that periodically announce themselves to passengers, alerting them that they’re being recorded. This could go a long way in deterring a would-be predator.
We’re glad that Uber and Lyft are finally taking measures to increase women’s safety, and as we said, we’d really like for them to invest in dash cams to keep both driver and rider safe. We love rideshares and these are the steps we take ourselves. We hope you do too.
