For iPhone Users:

Go into the settings on your phone and look for Emergency -
S.O.S. Scroll down till you find something about Health and Contacts. Be sure
you have this set up. The health card you will have to set up is important in
any sort of situation where you might find yourself unconscious and unable to
speak. EMT are taught how to open this section of your phone if they are not
able to ask you a few important questions.

The other part of this feature allows you to set up alerts to
be sent to the people that you select from your contact list if anything was to
go wrong. This feature is quickly and discreetly activated with just a few
quick presses of your phone's power button.

For Samsung Users:

Go into your setting and find the section titled Safety and
Emergency. Select Emergency SOS and follow the instructions there. You will
also be able to set up a health card here.

The LED signs that you see in the windshield of driver are NOT issued by any of the Ride-share companies. These signs are purchased online at the driver's expense.

That being said, there has been a recent rise in Predators posing as drivers trying to pick up passengers who do not pay attention to the safety measures we are sharing with you here. Oftentimes, these Predatory Drivers that are using these signs to fake being a driver have previously been actual drivers at some point so they know how to act like a real driver.

Your app will provide you with your drivers license plate so before you do anything else, check the license plate to ensure that the vehicle is a match to the one that you are supposed to be getting in.

Pperiodically, you may encounter a driver who is pretending to be legitimate. These people are EXTREMELY dangerous to the industry. Anytime you approach a vehicle and check the license plate, take a picture of their tag. If, when you go to confirm your driver, and you find that they are not your driver yet they insist that they are, immediately call 911. But do be mindful of drivers who are there to pick up some other passenger. Always ask "Who are you picking up?". If they can't say your name, move on. But if they are trying to persuade you to get in CALL 911.

In your Uber App, in your settings, you are looking for the term “Verify my ride”.
When you find it and open that section, you need to go ahead and turn that on.
What this does is that it generates a 4-digit PIN to give to your driver every
time that you use Uber. But it is not enough to merely have this turned on and so I am going to give you a pro tip on how to make this work most effectively.

DO NOT GET IN THE VEHICLE!!!

Instead, after verifying the license plate you will approach the passenger and get the driver to roll down the window. Through the window you will give the driver your 4-digit PIN code. Once they have typed that in you will then proceed to
play stupid for a moment by telling the driver that you might not have put the
address in correctly and that you would like them to tell you what address they
have on their screen.

See, we drivers cannot see your destination address until we have started the ride. You want to know that the ride has begun before you get in a vehicle. I have heard one woman tell me that her actual driver cancelled on her as she was entering his vehicle. It is a good thing that this woman was paying attention and caught this dastardly act. Cancelling a ride as or after the passenger has entered the vehicle takes away all of Uber’s safety features and goes into their system as you did not show for pick up. There would be no record of you getting into that driver’s vehicle. Verify your driver and make them start the ride BEFORE you get in their car.

Instead of physically viewing the position of a vehicle's child safety locks it would be advisable to approach the rear passenger windows from the rear of the vehicle (after checking/confirming the license plate). Tap on the window and insist that the driver rolls down that window.

Once the window is rolled down, ask the driver "Who are you picking up. Hearing the driver say your name is a good means of knowing that he/she actually are your driver.

After is is confirmed that you will be getting into the right vehicle, reach inside the window and open the door using the inside latch. If the door does not open then the child safety locks ARE engaged. Back away from the vehicle and report that driver.

Many drivers, including myself, will not prefer for you to sit directly behind them.
But this is the safest place for you to sit because the driver will have a very difficult time reaching you for any reason. With the assurance that the child safety lock is set to the unlocked position you will know that you will easily
be able to escape without the driver being able to grab you and pull you back
in. And, if necessary (I hope it never comes to that), run to the rear of the car and around the back rather than straight away from the car. They will also be exiting on that side. You would want to option of playing Ring Around the Rosie rather than be the girl who falls and gets caught in the horror film.

Predatory Drivers know when they have wronged their passenger, especially when they have been confronted for their behavior. As a defensive tactic they will often give false reports on their passenger preempreemptively trying to turn their wrong into a "He said/She said" scenario. Sadly, this tactic is quite effective. At this point, Uber HQ cannot tell who is actually in the wrong (unless you use the option to record audio found in your Uber App by pressing the shield button on your screen). When this happens Uber is left with only one option. But while Uber will never pair you with that driver ever again, that driver would be free to treat others the way that they treated you.

Instead of confronting your driver, just sit silent and record the conversation in the app. Be ready to call for help. One of the other tips here will tell you another way to handle a situation such as this. Continue reading to see all of your options.

If ever a driver makes you feel uncomfortable and you want them to stop talking to
you, have a friend on standby waiting to receive any text from you. You’re sitting behind the driver so they cannot see what you’re doing on your phone. When you send them the text, they are to call you [this prevents the driver from continuing to try and talk to you. Hardly any driver will ever try to
interrupt your phone call]. Your conversation should sound like you are on your
way to meet them whether it is true or not [this tells the driver that you are
expected]. As the two of you talk, the other person should be asking you where you’re at and how long it’s going to take for you to get there [this lets the driver know that someone knows where you currently are].

If there ever comes a time when you feel that you might not be safe with your driver, for any reason.

DO NOT ASK THE DRIVER TO LET YOU OUT!!!

Instead, go into your app and look for your destination for the trip that you are currently taking. Out to the side (in blue lettering) it should say "Add or Change". Click on that and it will take you to a place where you can quietly change your drop-off location.

The idea is to be let out of the vehicle on your own terms without provoking any sort of a situation with the driver. This prevents you from being dropped off on the side of a highway or in a neighborhood where you do not feel safe. Some of the best places to change your address will be hotels, hospitals, and gas stations that you know are open 24/7.

It is advised not to accept a drivers personal contact information for the purpose of securing a cheaper ride from them personally. Sure, while there are many drivers out there who are harmless and are only looking to receive better pay for their time, there are also those who might have other interests in mind. Yet there is no real way to be able to tell which driver you might meet. So, to avoid even the possibility of that situation going wrong, stick to keeping your experience with Uber drivers within the Uber platform. That way, you may always benefit from Ubers safety tools, such as having a friend track your ride, having the ability to report your drivers behavior, and basically having control. Once you get into a person's vehicle when you are NOT an Uber passenger, your safety is on you. And while they may have been an Uber Driver when you met them, they are not an Uber Driver if they are not logged in and accepting rides through the app.

There have been instances where certain drivers are being seletive of what rides they accept based upon the passengers gender. Using only your last name on your profile is not such a bad idea as a means of avoiding drivers who might be selectively seeking female passengers. If your name is listed as your last name name, naturally, you will avoid these drivers as they will decline your ride because they won't see a female name.

A driver who routinely flirts with their passengers is a potentially dangerous driver. You ride is NOT the time or place for such attention. Report any driver who is being flirtatious whenever it makes you uncomfortable. THIS IS SEXUAL HARRASEMENT. Drivers duties are to your transportation and to your safety.