Taking an Uber or Lyft in New York City is routine. The app gives you useful information before the car arrives, including the driver’s name, photograph, vehicle, and license plate. During the ride, you can follow the route and share your location.
Use those tools. Your own attention still plays a major role.
Most rideshare safety decisions are easier to make early, while you have time and options.
Before You Get In
Check the license plate before touching the door handle. Compare the make and model with the app, then look at the driver and confirm that the person matches the photograph.
NHTSA recommends verifying the vehicle, plate, and driver before entering a rideshare. Uber gives passengers similar guidance.
I also recommend asking, “Who are you here for?”
Let the driver confirm your name. It gives you another chance to catch the wrong car or someone pretending to be your driver.
If something doesn’t match, stay outside and request another ride.
Uber also offers PIN verification. When enabled, the driver has to enter the four-digit PIN shown in your app before the trip can begin.
Your pickup location deserves some thought too. Wait inside a building when you can. Otherwise, choose somewhere lit and active where you can see the approaching vehicle clearly.
Once You’re in the Car
When you’re riding alone, I generally recommend the back seat on the passenger side. You have space from the driver and direct access to a door.
Put your seat belt on immediately.
Rideshare safety conversations tend to focus on assaults and predatory drivers. You’re still traveling in a moving vehicle, and crashes remain a real risk. The seat belt should be automatic.
Once you’re settled, share the trip with someone you trust. Uber and Lyft both provide tools that allow another person to follow your ride and location.
Then pay attention to where you’re going.
You don’t need to study every turn. You should notice when the car begins moving somewhere that doesn’t make sense.
Ask early.
“Why are we going this way?”
A reasonable question gives you useful information. The driver may have a perfectly ordinary explanation. Their response may also give you another reason to leave.
If You Want the Ride to End
You can end a ride before reaching your destination.
RAINN advises passengers who feel uneasy or sense danger to ask to be let out somewhere safe. Its rideshare safety guidance was developed with Uber.
Choose somewhere active. A hotel entrance, open store, restaurant, gas station, or busy intersection gives you somewhere to go once you leave the car.
Be specific.
“Jorge, pull over at that store, please.”
You don’t need to prove that the driver intends to harm you before deciding you’ve had enough information to leave.
If It Becomes an Emergency
Once you believe you’re in immediate danger, stop treating the situation like an uncomfortable ride.
Call 911.
Tell the dispatcher that you’re a passenger in a rideshare vehicle. Give your location as accurately as you can, including the street, cross street, borough, or direction of travel. Give them the license plate and vehicle description if you can see the information safely. Explain what the driver is doing that makes you believe you’re in danger.
Both major rideshare apps also provide emergency tools. Uber’s Safety Toolkit can connect riders with 911 and display the vehicle information, license plate, and live location. Lyft provides in-app emergency assistance and can connect riders with emergency support that can relay location and vehicle information to authorities.
In New York City, you can also text 911 when you can’t safely make a voice call. NYC Emergency Management advises people to call when possible and use text when speaking isn’t safe or possible. In a text, include the emergency and your location. Answer the operator’s questions and keep the conversation open until they end it.
Don’t open the door or try to jump from a moving vehicle. Keep your seat belt on until the car stops unless remaining restrained creates an immediate threat. Fighting with someone who is controlling a moving car can create another serious danger.
If the driver refuses to stop, stay focused on getting help and identifying where you are. Watch street signs, businesses, intersections, highway exits, and landmarks. Give that information to 911 as it changes.
When the vehicle stops and you have a safe opportunity to leave, get out and move toward people. Go inside an open business if one is nearby. Create distance from the vehicle before deciding what to do next.
Handle the immediate danger first. Reporting the driver to the rideshare company comes afterward.
Protect Your Personal Information
Normal conversation can reveal more than you intended.
A driver usually doesn’t need to know that you live alone, that nobody is waiting for you, where you work every day, or what you plan to do after the ride.
If the interaction has made you uncomfortable, consider getting out near your destination instead of directly in front of your home.
The Self-Defense Habit Behind Rideshare Safety
At Krav Maga Experts, we teach people to recognize a developing problem while useful options are still available. Rideshare safety uses the same skill.
Check the vehicle before you enter. Notice changes during the ride. Ask questions when something doesn’t make sense. Leave when you decide the situation has crossed your line.
Self-defense rarely begins with fighting.
It usually begins with noticing something early enough to make a better decision.
Do something amazing,
Tsahi Shemesh
Founder & CEO
Krav Maga Experts
Relevant Articles
Employee Safety Training Beyond the Office
Your commute is part of your day too, and this article explains why awareness, distance, communication, and escape should carry as much of the burden as possible before physical self-defense becomes relevant.
Never Quit, but Know When to Walk Away
Once you have a safe way out, your decision has to change with the situation, and this article explains why the purpose of self-defense is to protect yourself and the people you’re responsible for.
What Happens When She Learns She Can Fight Back?
One of my students stopped an attacker in broad daylight and was upset she hadn’t hit him, and this article explains why stopping the threat and getting home safely is how I define victory.
Rideshare Safety FAQ
How do I verify my rideshare driver before getting in?
Check the license plate before touching the door handle, compare the make and model with the app, and confirm that the driver matches the photograph. Then ask, “Who are you here for?” and let the driver say your name. If something doesn’t match, stay outside and request another ride.
Which seat should I take in a rideshare when riding alone?
I generally recommend the back seat on the passenger side. You have space from the driver and direct access to a door. Put your seat belt on immediately.
Can I end a rideshare ride early if something feels wrong?
Yes. Ask the driver to pull over somewhere active, such as a hotel entrance, open store, restaurant, gas station, or busy intersection. Be specific, use the driver’s name, and move toward other people once you’re out.
What should I do if a rideshare driver won’t stop the car?
Call 911 and tell the dispatcher you’re a passenger in a rideshare vehicle. Give your location, the license plate, and what the driver is doing. In New York City you can text 911 when you can’t safely speak. Keep your seat belt on until the car stops, and don’t try to jump from a moving vehicle.
