Stay As Safe As Possible When Using Rideshares
Rideshare services like Uber or Lyft, are now an accepted part of our society, and the way that we get around. They are as much a part of public transportation as buses or trains or subways, in major cities, may be. But Uber or Lyft rides carry their own set of dangers and hazards.
Even though you may only be a seemingly helpless passenger inside of an Uber or Lyft, there are still things that you can do, and precautions that you can take, to try to make your ride as safe as possible.
- Watch the driver – Sure, you may talk to the driver, and some rideshare drivers are more social than others. But your first observation should be the driver’s behavior. Does he or she seem tired, distracted, perhaps with an altered personality?
Does the driver look sleepy or drowsy or tired? You know what someone looks like when they just haven’t had enough sleep. Or when they’re trying desperately to keep themselves awake.
Do you smell weed or alcohol in the vehicle? If you sense that your driver may not be fit to be behind the wheel, it may be a sign for you to get out before there’s a problem.
- Look at the vehicle – certainly, you can’t do a full under the car inspection, and there is no way of knowing by sitting inside the car, whether the car is maintained. But you can tell a lot about how a car is maintained inside, by looking at the parts you can see. If a car is broken down, torn, missing parts, etc. on the inside it could be an indication that the car is poorly maintained on the outside.
- Be nice, but not too nice – Remember your driver is a stranger, even if he or she is trying to be polite and talkative. Also remember that if your driver is taking you to or from your home, that driver now knows where you live. Try to avoid excess conversation about your personal life, and who lives with you, or other information about you.
- Tell others – Some rideshare apps do this for you, but however you do it, try to make sure that someone else knows your route, and that you are using Uber or Lyft. Just like if you were going somewhere to meet a stranger, it’s a good idea to have friends or family aware that you are using a rideshare. If the rideshare’s app has a way for you to notify someone else in real time of your location, you should use it.
- Use the back seat – Most rideshare drivers will want you in the backseat anyway, but in the event there is the chance to be in the front seat, you should avoid it. This is certainly using an overabundance of caution, but you still don’t know exactly who it is that is driving the car. The backseat keeps you out of arm’s reach, in the event there is a serious problem. It also could allow you to escape out of a backseat easier, without the driver knowing, in an emergency (when the car is stopped, of course).
Call the Knoxville car accident lawyers at Fox Farley Willis & Burnette, PLLC, today if you have been in a rideshare, uber or Lyft car accident.
Sources:
valuepenguin.com/rideshare-car-insurance-florida#:~:text=Lyft%20and%20Uber%20driver%20requirements%20in%20Florida&text=For%20both%20companies%2C%20drivers%20must,shared%20with%20passengers%20before%20pickup.
uber.com/us/en/drive/requirements/
