Ridesharing has become quite the common thing to do in recent years. Services like Uber, Lyft, and the like are booming in metropolitan areas, ferrying individuals around town and giving the drivers that work for them a chance to make some extra money.
In fact, ridesharing is so common nowadays that passengers and drivers alike have a tendency to overlook many of the potential risks that exist for both parties. While not wanting to cause alarm, we do want you to be informed of the possibilities, so here are six items you’ll want to keep in mind when you decide to rideshare.
Ending Up In The Wrong Vehicle
While it’s true that ridesharing services try to implement precautions to keep passengers safe, there are still instances where a case of mistaken identity can put a passenger at risk.
Consider the tale of Elizabeth Suarez, for instance, who got in the wrong vehicle after hailing a rideshare and was nearly kidnapped. While this sort of thing may not happen often, it’s indeed possible, and underscores the importance of paying attention.
Accidents Happen
Just like hopping in the car with a buddy, there’s a chance for accidents on the road when you’re doing a rideshare. Many passengers tend to forget this, though, and as a result, put themselves at greater risk for potential dangers. While it’s true that services like Uber provide some coverage for their drivers and car accident personal injury claims, it’s important for you as a passenger to take as many safety precautions as possible to mitigate the possibility of harm.
Driver/Passenger Danger
It’d be nice if all our interactions could be safe and harmonious, but reality, particularly when it comes to ridesharing, can be disappointing. There have been instances of both passengers getting physical with drivers and vice versa during rideshares, sometimes to the point of outright assault. Both scenarios are harrowing to consider.
Germs
The Coronavirus outbreak has definitely magnified the fear drivers have of catching airborne infections while on the job. Those fears have even prompted companies like Uber and Lyft to take steps to curtail the potential risks of disease. Uber, for instance, has given drivers the ability to “decline a customer’s ride request without consequence if they suspect that person might have the virus,” among other things.
Even if Coronavirus weren’t a concern, though, getting into a confined space with a stranger definitely increases the potential for spreading disease — be that COVID-19 or something else entirely. Passengers and drivers alike should be aware of this risk, and take the necessary steps to limit passing germs while ridesharing.
