As the world becomes more technologically innovative, ride services such as uber and lyft have made apps to help make the experience safer and more enjoyable. Through the years the apps have advanced to prevent kidnapping which is commonly associated with driving services. There has been an increase in security that has been placed in order to keep everyone safe. Adding features such as license plate numbers and details about the car have created an ease of mind yet there are still abductions occurring. I definitely think they are on the right path to ensure every ride is safe by innovating new ideas that will allow for more safety.
From where the driving services started until now, I believe they have made significant improvement for the safety of their riders. Although they have come far, I still believe there is stuff to be done such as having images and drivers rolling down windows to introduce themselves. Even with the advancements to make it safer there are still many acts of kidnapping and rape. In this article you can see how sexual assaults are happening through driving services, https://ankinlaw.com/rideshare-services-safety/ . Rideshare apps are definitely going in the right direction for making sure all riders are safe and comfortable with using the apps. I know personally, I always get nervous ordering an uber because of the news about rape and kidnaps that happen from this service. I also believe there should be a greater emphasis on doing background checks and interviews to understand the drivers motives before they are allowed to work for the app.
Rideshare apps were not made to harm others or allow for abductions to occur. I believe it is the people working as drivers that have bad intentions. There should be more qualifications for someone to be able to work for the apps. Things such as background checks, interviews, and references are all ways to tell what a person is like. Rapists sign up to be a driver knowing it is an easy way to kidnap people. In a CNN article it reveals there were 5,981 incidents of sexual assault in just a 2 year time span. https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/05/tech/uber-safety-report/index.html As the article continues it shows that 19 people were killed in those 2 years due to physical assault. This number is way too high and we need to work harder to fix it. I do not think it is the apps fault for these assaults but i do think they have some responsibility due to the lack of review before hiring drivers.
Lyft has started a cool gadget to help with safety that notifies the rider if the driver is going off the route. It also has gone ahead and created emergency calls on the app by selecting a button. The washington post tells us about the safety improvements Lyft is making for its riders, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/10/lyft-announces-safety-changes-advocated-by-victims-wake-scrutiny/ . I am very impressed with the protocols these apps are making to ensure safety but i do believe there is still a lot that needs to be done. These apps are taking the innovative to change their reputation for the better. Allowing the riders to have an ease of mind knowing they are able to order a ride anywhere anytime and they will arrive safely.
In conclusion, I believe these apps are going the extra mile to ensure safety for everyone.Though there are still some flaws with how the apps operate i think they are heading in the right direction so everyone can feel safe and comfortable on rides. After reading articles about the improvements being made, I have a peace of mind ordering a ride. I am hoping that the number of assaults will go down as more improvements are made. Safety is the main priority for these apps.
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