The tragic death of Samantha Josephson recently took place, as she mistakenly got into a car she thought was her Uber. Her horrific story has stuck with everyone I know, as most of my friends use Uber often. After the news of the incident, my mother even called me to tell me to make sure I was taking safety precautions if I ever used Uber, and my friends and I have discussed ways to safely use Uber.
In light of the incident, it is important for everyone, especially my girls out there, to take safety precautions to prevent another tragic death. The world can be a scary place and unfortunately taking safety measures and preventative actions could potentially be your only defense to the evil people in this world.
When taking Ubers, ALWAYS ask your driver to tell you your name. Your Uber driver should know the name of the person they are picking up, so him/her being able to repeat your name to you is confirmation that it is your Uber driver. Once you confirm an Uber, you will be sent the driver's photo, license plate number, and car model. It is definitely helpful to know what different car models look like.
This may sound like common sense to some, but for others, including me, we may not know what the heck a honda civic even looks like. When you are given information on the car model if you aren't sure what car to look for, google a picture and make sure it matches the Uber when it pulls up.
Especially if you are taking Uber alone, forward all information to a friend or family member. This includes the driver's photo, car model, and your trip details. You can text this information, and there is a feature in the Uber app to send all this information to someone so they can track your whole trip, even if they themselves haven't downloaded the Uber app.
Last but not least, it is always helpful to have a form of self-defense. Even if you do get in the correct Uber, you don't know this person. Uber does do background checks on all their drivers, but this is a stranger. Keeping pepper spray in your purse or on your key chain will give you a last-resort form of self-defense in the event of your driver becoming dangerous.
This may not be useful if you realize you're in danger while the driver is driving, as it could cause a car accident. However, when the car does stop you can impair your driver long enough that you can escape the dangerous situation. Pepper spray can be bought in a variety of stores such as Walmart, or you can purchase it online.
Samantha Josephson's death is fully the responsibility of her murderer, Nathaniel Rowland, and is in no way her fault. This tragic event opened the eyes of those around me and everyone who has read her story to the fact that you can never be too safe.
