Uber is one of the most popular rideshare apps in the world. It has made transportation so much easier, in a few clicks, you can book a cab and reach your destination in no time. However, if you are a frequent Uber passenger then you must get this question in your mind “is Uber safe?”
In this article, I will like to answer all your questions about Uber’s safety. After going through this post, you will have a definite answer to whether Uber is dangerous or not. So, let’s begin.
Table Of Contents
- Is Uber Safe?
- Is Uber Dangerous At Night For Female Passengers & Drivers?
- Is Uber Safe For Teenagers?
- Is Uber Safe For Seniors?
- Is Uber Safe For Long Distance?
- How To Protect Yourself From The Dangers Of Uber?
- Is Uber Dangerous: Final Verdict
- FAQs
Is Uber Safe?
Uber takes a lot of safety measures into consideration which ensures the safety of riders and drivers. However, nothing can be perfect hence these measures are sometimes not enough to tackle some unprecedented situations. So we can say that Uber is not dangerous but it doesn’t mean that it’s 100% safe.
Even after so many safety protocols, there are some safety concerns a driver or rider has while riding an Uber which are as follows:
- Sexual assault
- Robbery
- Kidnapping
- Accidents
Is Uber Dangerous At Night For Female Passengers & Drivers?
Most people ask this question is it safe to ride Uber alone at midnite or 3 or 4 am in the morning being a female?
Let’s understand that with some statistics. According to a report, there were 998 sexual assault incidents, including 141 rape reports, in 2020.
The year 2020 had over 5 billion riders. This means the chances of you being a victim of sexual assault are very less, as low as 0.00000019%. However, these stats are for the day as well as night. So, if you are traveling at night in Uber you should take extra care and try to stay awake during the ride.
Is Uber Safe For Teenagers?
Uber is not for minors, it is an 18+ app which means only adults can book a cab using this app. However, if you are planning to book a cab for teenagers so that they can go from home to school or their friend’s house then you should be careful. Although there aren’t many, there are a few cases where teens traveling alone have been kidnapped or tried to be kidnapped.
Is Uber Safe For Seniors?
If you are an older citizen let’s say 60 or over then Uber can be dangerous for you because there have been quite a few incidences where senior citizens were robbed. This means that Uber is not totally safe for senior citizens if they are traveling alone.
Is Uber Safe For Long Distance?
Traveling long distances in Uber increases the chances of meeting with an accident. However, it is still very less than other modes of public transport. Out of 2 billion rides, 107 fatal accidents were reported in 2020. So we can easily say that Uber is safe for long-distance rides and you can take them to travel from point A to point B.
How To Protect Yourself From The Dangers Of Uber?
You can follow the below tips to ride Uber safely.
1. Confirm The Ride
In most cases, criminals pretend to be Uber drivers. People who are in hurry don’t confirm it and get into the stranger’s car and get easily kidnapped. If you don’t want to get kidnapped you must confirm whether the Uber is genuine or not.
2. Tell Your Friends Where You’re Going
If you are going somewhere alone, you must tell your friends or family about it. For added security, you can send them the details of the Uber. For example its number, car model, etc. God forbids, if you are kidnapped by the driver then your friends can trace the car with its license number with the help of police and protect you.
3. Make Use Of A Location Tracking App
You can keep a location tracking app with Geofencing ability like KidsGuard Pro installed on your partner or teenager’s phone. So that wherever they go, their location is synced to your device. As long as their device is connected to the internet and is switched on it will keep syncing the location. If they are riding an Uber you can actively monitor their location till they don’t reach the destination safely.
Since the geofence app is installed on their phone you don’t have to monitor their location all the time. It is because you will get an alert whenever they travel out of the safety zone i.e. virtual boundaries set by you on the map.
4. Use The Safety Features Of The Uber App
There are a few good safety features available in the Uber app that makes it better than other rideshare apps. You should make use of these features to prevent yourself from any bad situation. These features include:
- Emergency Assistance
- Trusted Contacts
- RideCheck
5. Never Travel Alone At Late Nights
This tip is obvious but also very important. It is seen that most cases of theft and sexual assault are reported at night time. Therefore it is advisable that you should not ride an Uber alone at night time. If you really want to travel then you should take someone with you especially if you are a woman or a senior citizen.
Is Uber Dangerous: Final Verdict
Uber is safer than a normal taxi as it has lots of safety features that you don’t get when you book an ordinary cab. However, even after these features lots of incidences of sexual assault, accidents, and robbery are reported worldwide. So, to conclude I would like to say that Uber is safe but you should still be aware and take precautions. Especially, if you are a woman, a teenager, or an elderly who are traveling alone.
FAQs
What Are The Risks Of Using Uber?
Sexual assault, accidents, robbery, etc. are some risks associated with Uber.
Is It Safe To Take An Uber Alone?
It is safe to travel in Uber alone but there are some incidences where people traveling alone were sexually assaulted or robbed at gunpoint. So you need to be extra careful if you are traveling alone, especially at night.
Which Is Safer Uber Or Lyft?
Uber has more safety features when compared to Lyft so it can be considered safer.
