For something meant to get you from A → B, a lot of people have significant fears related to getting in an Uber or Lyft. A new nationwide survey, conducted by Chalik & Chalik, asked 500 men and women what their top fears are when they get in to a rideshare vehicle. It comes as no surprise that rideshare tensions are running high among both men and women. Recent news of fake Uber drivers sexually assaulting passengers across the nation have struck fear into the hearts of many, especially female passengers who are riding alone, often times under the influence.
Overall Results
Having a "creepy" driver, driving distracted and car accidents were among the top overall rideshare fears. The researchers asked survey participants to rate their fears on a scale from 1 to 10 - 10 denoting the most serious concern. This data was then averaged out and ranked from highest to lowest.
They found that a creepy or weird driver is both men and women's primary concern overall when getting in an Uber or Lyft, scoring an average of 5.4 out of 10. “Creepy” or “Weird” could be defined as a driver that commits actions that make the passenger uncomfortable such as asking too many personal questions, commenting on your outfit or spending too much time looking in the dashboard mirror.
With recent reports of drivers assaulting their passengers, the fear has become a reality, especially for women. It is not a new fear however, because as a woman, you have thought about the worst case scenario while being out alone.
The second biggest fear, which scored right behind "creepy" drivers was the fear their driver will be distracted. The fear of a car accident comes right behind distracted driving when it comes to top overall fears. Many Uber/Lyft drivers tend to be extremely distracted while on the road with navigation open and more ride requests coming in so this comes as no surprise.
Rideshare Gender Disparity
The researchers then broke the data up by gender and found common fears in the top 10 focused on personal safety, property and possessions. This includes the fear that the driver will know where you live or that you will leave your keys or phone behind.
They found the starkest contrast between genders was the fears surrounding personal safety. Interestingly though, both had the same top 3 fears -- in different orders.
Women's fear of being sexually harassed and assaulted came much higher on the list than men's, ranking fifth for assault and sexual harassment in eighth. Both of these were at the bottom of the list for men. I find it funny both genders are more concerned about having a driver that takes the wrong turn or gets lost than a driver who is under the influence of alcohol.
Turns out, passengers aren't the only ones who afraid when using a rideshare service. I asked a group of rideshare drivers what their main fears are when getting behind the wheel and their top fears (in no particular order) included:
-The passenger will be drunk or under the influence
-Throw up in their car
-Damage their car
-Bring an open container of alcohol in their car
-Give the wrong directions
-The passenger will ask to drive over the speed limit or break the law
-Bring food into the car
-Will rate the driver poorly
Breaking Down the Ages
When categorized into four age groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-60, 60+), many had the same concerns shared across the board.
The only exception here comes with the age 18-29 group, their primary concern is the loss of property coming in second place while all other age groups don’t categorize it in their top 5 fears.
Mature passengers in their mid 40’s and older seem to be more concerned of drivers over the influence of alcohol or drugs. Younger passengers don’t even rank that as one of their top five fears.
When broken down into general categories, the top concerns are road and driver safety. Distracted driving ranks at the top of everyone's concerns. In matters of personal safety, many worry their driver will know where they live and creepy drivers tend to also be what concern most passengers.
Overall, men felt safe across the board, but a sad truth lies within female survey respondents who ranked sexual harassment and sexual assault as a primary fear. According to Uber's website, they have partnered with several anti-violence organizations in an effort to combat sexual assault for both riders and drivers. They have committed $5 million to this cause and according to their website, they are committed to educating riders and drivers on driving awareness to help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence.
I think a lot of people can relate to some of these statistics. For me, what made Uber and Lyft different than a taxi cab was the price and the comfort. Because your every move is being tracked, you feel safer, however, that is not the case. Although I've never been in a situation where I have been in real danger of being assaulted or involved in an accident, I have experienced drivers feeling too comfortable with me and sometimes that's enough for you to think twice about riding alone.
I think it's important to take a look at these statistics and see the difference between male and female fears including age. It is an eye opener for your friends and hopefully rideshare companies. Lastly, it's important to note that there is a scarce amount of research on the fears of passengers, which is surprising.
Compared to the amount of information on assault cases involving drivers, there is not enough articles written on what we can do to fix this or what consumers find problematic with these rideshare companies. The only thing we can do is learn from tragic incidents and hope that some real changes are actually being made within.
