The crimes against Uber drivers are underrated mainly and in some cases, they go unreported also. These drivers are not always in a position to be able to lose their job since more often than not, they’re the sole breadwinners of their families. The fact that any ride and any stranger that they’re tending to could potentially be life-threatening is scary. A lot of drivers seem to own guns to protect themselves, even though the company has banned firearms.
Crimes Against Uber Drivers
Uber Driver death
The recent death of 38-year-old Christi Spicuzza has enranged the citizens of the United States and started a debate regarding Uber drivers’ safety. In what was claimed to be a robbery, a mother of four lost her life to a greedy and disturbed passenger. Robberies, Gang-wars, and intoxicated passengers often pose a threat to the driver and put them in unfavorable situations.
Assaulted driver
A Sacramento Uber driver claims to be assaulted by an “extremely intoxicated” passenger when she pulled over to help him puke. Drivers who wish to help or are simply decent human beings are put through the trauma of being careful of every passenger they pick. Drivers who take up passengers late at night are subject to a greater risk of assault or misdemeanor. Often, intoxicated passengers misbehave and put the driver in uncomfortable situations. Even if the driver might not be in a dangerous situation, the troubles that come with handling a passenger who has no hold of their senses can be extremely challenging.
Double Trouble for the drivers
If the Uber driver’s not harmed, and the passenger is charged with committing a crime while in the cab, the driver may be also charged as an accomplice. If the driver does try to stop the passenger, the driver puts himself in the way of harm by aggravating the criminal. If the passenger continues to commit a crime, it either makes the driver an accomplice or a ken witness to the case, for which the driver has to endure plenty of visits to the court trials. Ultimately, it’s the Uber driver who suffers if he happens to come in contact with a criminal.
Unfavorable conditions by the Company
The death of Spicuzza and the assault faced by the Sacramento driver were handled by Uber by making updates in their app. The new software enables drivers to press an emergency button upon which vital details such as location, license plate number, and car models are sent to a 911 dispatcher. They even developed a new “selfie check” feature which helps the driver match the passenger’s face with their photo. Either of the situations doesn’t necessarily guarantee the safety of the drivers or make them feel any safe. It could be too late to press the emergency button or the driver might not be in a position to access their phone. As far as the selfie check feature is concerned, a lot of passengers board the car on someone else’s booking, making these changes, largely ineffective. A loss of life, permanent trauma, or endless runs to the court and back, even if the driver is not the victim, somehow they always end up suffering.
Overall struggle drivers are subjected to
At the end of the day, these drivers not only face a daily struggle of incomprehensible passengers, but there are also the passengers who are rude, and unreasonable and end up dipping the driver’s rating which in turn reduces their chances of getting more rides, inevitably, decreasing their income. To be driving in scary situations when the driver must be under a lot of pressure can put both, the passenger and the driver’s safety at risk. It would be unfair to leave out Uber drivers who don’t even get paid after suffering through the trauma. In countries like India, Brazil, and Mexico, passengers have the option of paying with cash. These drivers are not only at the risk of being under adverse conditions in the presence of abnormal passengers but also go through the possibility of not getting paid. This puts the drivers at a greater risk of being victims of crimes after completing their jobs.
Conclusion
In a survey by Harry Campbell, a whopping 53% of Uber drivers said that the company needed to do more for their safety. To summarise, a few software updates don’t make feel Uber drivers feel any safe because the ground reality is what they have to face daily. One can only hope he’s lucky enough to not be harmed, regardless, they should be prepared for the worst.
