Are you taking a Lyft or Uber in South Florida for spring break? Here are some safety tips
With spring break in full effect, thousands — many of whom are college students — are traveling to South Florida to party, drink and have a good time.
Using rideshare apps is a safer alternative to driving while intoxicated, but cops say they are not without risks.
Two male Lyft drivers have been separately charged with sexual battery in the span of a week after two women told cops the men raped them in Miami Beach. Lyft subsequently banned both men from using its app and they remained in jail as of Thursday.
While crime victims should never be blamed for what happens to them, there are also ways to make your rideshare experience safer, said Officer Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesperson of the Miami Beach Police Department.
“We always encourage you to ride with a friend but if you are not able to do that you should be able to immediately share your location with somebody you know,” Rodriguez said.
With safety in mind, here are some useful tips to help guide riders along their journey.
What are Lyft’s safety features?
Lyft collected more than 4,000 reports of sexual assault in the U.S. from 2017 through 2019, the company reported last year, adding that over 99% of trips occurred without any safety incident, traffic accidents and physical assaults included.
According to Lyft, the company screens its drivers before they give their first ride. It also conducts annual background checks and monitors their criminal and driving record.
Lyft has a series of in-app safety tools that allow riders to share their location with family and friends, connect directly with Lyft Support and quickly access emergency assistance from the app.
Some of Lyft’s safety features include:
- Location sharing — It allows users to share their live location with friends and family. In settings, tap “safety tools” to customize how and when you share your location.
- “Emergency Help” — Supported by the security company ADT, it allows riders and drivers to quickly and discreetly connect with ADT staff, who can alert authorities so they can arrive at the user’s live location. Authorities would also have access to ride details like the vehicle’s make and model, license plate number and the intended drop-off location. On the main screen, tap the icon on the right with a cross, select “emergency help” and swipe right.
- “Smart Trip Check-in” — Lyft can reach out to riders and drivers if their ride appears to be irregular and can connect them to its safety team or emergency assistance.
Lyft’s safety team is available 24/7 so riders and drivers can always reach a real person if they have concerns or feel unsafe, according to the company.
What are Uber’s safety tools?
Uber collected nearly 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the U.S. from 2017 through 2018, the company reported the following year, adding that it completed 2.3 billion trips during that time. Riders accounted for nearly half of the accused parties, the company added.
According to Uber, its drivers are also background checked before their first trip and they are re-screened every year. More than 40,000 drivers have been removed from the app due to the continuous screening, the company said in its safety report.
Uber has several safety features that allow riders to share their location with family and friends and call 911 from the app.
Some of Uber’s safety features include:
- “Share My Trip” — It allows users to share their live location with friends and family by choosing their trusted contacts in the app and setting reminders to share their trip details with them. In settings, select “trusted contacts,” select up to five and choose reminder settings.
Emergency assistance — It allows users to call local emergency services right from the app. In a “growing number” of U.S. cities, this information is automatically provided to the authorities, according to Uber. On the main screen, tap the icon on the right that has a shield, select “911 assistance” and swipe right.
“RideCheck” — Using sensors and GPS data, RideCheck can help detect if a trip has an unexpected long stop. If so, Uber will “check” on the driver and offer tools to get help.
Uber support is also available 24 hours a day, but the company recommends riders to first call 911 in case of an emergency.
Are there any other useful tips for rideshare users?
Uber and Lyft also recommends riders to follow these steps before entering a vehicle:
- Make sure the vehicle’s license plate number, make and model match with the information in the app.
- Make sure the driver’s name and photo match the information in the app.
- In the case of Uber, verify a ride by opting-in to receive a unique four-digit pin to share with the driver before the ride can start. Go to settings and turn on “verify your ride.”
If any of the information does not match, riders are encouraged not to enter the vehicle.
If a Lyft driver violates company policy, will Uber hear about it?
In 2021, Lyft and Uber started an initiative that allows them to share information about the drivers and delivery people deactivated from each company’s platform for the most serious safety incidents, which include sexual assault and physical assaults that result in death.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 5:08 PM.
