Woman Tweets Story Of How Checking An Uber Driver’s License Plate Saved Her From Possibly Being Trafficked
These days, the importance of personal safety cannot be stressed enough. Even if you’re not out of your element, traveling around the world or the like, dangers lurk around every corner, so staying aware of your surroundings is key to staying safe.
A woman online has not too long ago shared a story that serves as a great reminder on just how aware you ought to be of things, especially if you’re waiting for your Uber.
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You can never be ‘too safe’ when you’re catching a ride with a taxi service
Image credits: Carl Mikoy (not the actual photo)
Solo travel blogger Ciara Johnson recently went to Twitter to share an incident that happened to her. One that could have ended badly if not for staying on top of things.
A car pulled up as she was waiting for her Uber to come over. The driver jumped out and hurriedly threw her suitcase in the trunk. Ciara was still waiting to see the license plate, confused as all heck as to what was happening. She finally noticed that it was, in fact, the wrong car.
Travel blogger Ciara Johnson recently shared how being aware of the license plate can save your from trouble
Image credits: hey_ciara
The driver ended up taking the luggage out, seemingly hoping it wasn’t the wrong car, and blurted out “I wish it wasn’t the wrong car.” Ciara then noticed that her actual Uber driver was behind her. She explained what had just happened, and he noted that this happens often—men drive around in hopes ladies won’t notice.
Once Ciara is seen talking to her actual driver, the man simply gets into his car and drives away, adding even more suspicion.
Ciara also shared some advice on how to stay safe when getting an Uber
Image credits: hey_ciara
Ciara took the opportunity to turn this into a life lesson for everyone: always check the license plate before entering the car, the driver should ask for a pin to confirm it’s the right client in their car, and if not, always ask for what your name is—the right driver should be able to answer that.
She also suggested comparing the profile photo, if your service supports that (some don’t), and also sharing your location with a friend for the duration of the journey (pst! if your taxi app doesn’t support that feature, you can always use the Location function on Facebook Messenger or Google Maps).
Image credits: hey_ciara
Lastly, another serious giveaway is if there’s another person in the car—a ‘boyfriend’ or whomever sharing the ride. Oh, and if applicable, “as my actual driver says, we’re in Texas, so carry your gun if you’re a woman that can,” said Ciara.
Ciara’s tweet soon drew significant attention, garnering over 17,300 likes and nearly 8,400 retweets. In response to this, people on Twitter started sharing their stories of how much people don’t pay attention to the cars they jump into, let alone the license plates.
Many shared their own ideas and stories in response to Ciara’s now viral Twitter thread
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Others shared how this happened to them or their friends, and how they avoided the close call. And even one person explained how two other women managed to jump into their Uber and were pretty surprised and confused when the journey was confirmed without them actually being in the car.
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You can check out the entire Twitter thread in context here, and even check out Ciara’s tips on how to stay safe as a solo female traveler here. But before you go, tell us some of your ‘wrong driver’, close-call or general Uber advice in the comment section below!
I think that one commenter is right. Wherever women can be in a dangerous situation w men there should be a choice of women only companies. Yes I know women can be dangerous too but I'm better able to fight a woman than I ever will be a man.
but the problem was never Uber or her proper driver, it was a random person that was just waiting around for a victim. And as her story said, she had a woman driver attempt to pick her up with a man in the passenger seat, breaking the Uber rules already, so who is to say they would have followed some other Only Women Service's rules. Lastly, this advice about checking number plates and ID's are valid for men too.
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This is not how trafficking works. Yes, the man could easily have raped or killed her. But no, there are not armies of men kidnapping random middle class women off the street in order to... what? You think trafficked women are chained to a bed or something? Most trafficked women are trafficked for labour, not sex (eg to work as cleaners or in nail salons) and women who are sex trafficked are either groomed or threatened (eg with being deported) to get them to go along with it. If someone grabs a woman off the street he's certainly not a trafficked, just an old fashioned rapist or murderer.
Thank you! That being said there have been several disturbing cases where women have been kidnapped and murdered by fake Uber drivers.
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How can one NOT check the license plate before getting into the car? That's literally THE identifier of the car. If you get into a car of some make and color, you likely end up being an entitled ahole getting into some bystander's car because you assume the world spins around you and OF COURSE all the cars in proximity are there for your convenience. How is it normal to get into a car without confirming it's your ride?
Exactly, I was going to say similar thing. Like literally there is no other way to know it's your ride without confirming license plate..
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I think that one commenter is right. Wherever women can be in a dangerous situation w men there should be a choice of women only companies. Yes I know women can be dangerous too but I'm better able to fight a woman than I ever will be a man.
but the problem was never Uber or her proper driver, it was a random person that was just waiting around for a victim. And as her story said, she had a woman driver attempt to pick her up with a man in the passenger seat, breaking the Uber rules already, so who is to say they would have followed some other Only Women Service's rules. Lastly, this advice about checking number plates and ID's are valid for men too.
Load More Replies... This is not how trafficking works. Yes, the man could easily have raped or killed her. But no, there are not armies of men kidnapping random middle class women off the street in order to... what? You think trafficked women are chained to a bed or something? Most trafficked women are trafficked for labour, not sex (eg to work as cleaners or in nail salons) and women who are sex trafficked are either groomed or threatened (eg with being deported) to get them to go along with it. If someone grabs a woman off the street he's certainly not a trafficked, just an old fashioned rapist or murderer.
Thank you! That being said there have been several disturbing cases where women have been kidnapped and murdered by fake Uber drivers.
Load More Replies... How can one NOT check the license plate before getting into the car? That's literally THE identifier of the car. If you get into a car of some make and color, you likely end up being an entitled ahole getting into some bystander's car because you assume the world spins around you and OF COURSE all the cars in proximity are there for your convenience. How is it normal to get into a car without confirming it's your ride?
Exactly, I was going to say similar thing. Like literally there is no other way to know it's your ride without confirming license plate..
Load More Replies...
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