As a regular user of apps like Lyft and Uber, I almost always go through the steps of confirming that the car I am getting into is the right one: I check the make and model, look at the license plate, and ask the driver who they are picking up. Every once in a while, though, I can be more careless, jumping into a car late at night on a busy street and not taking the time to check. In most cases, people do hop into the right car even when being a little careless. However, for some people the difference between the right car and the wrong car can be life and death.
Samantha Josephson, a 21-year-old student at University of South Carolina, accidentally got into a car which she thought was her Uber at 2 am on Friday March 29th. Her body was then found the next day nearly 60 miles away from where she was picked up. Josephson was allegedly kidnapped and killed by the man driving the car, Nathaniel Rowland.
Samantha Josephson’s death has taken a massive toll on her family as well as her fellow USC students. People have taken up the #WhatsMyName social media campaign to prevent anymore horrors like this one from happening by asking a driver “What’s my name?” before entering a car.
The state of South Carolina also plans to create a new law named after Ms. Josephson to help ride-sharing users spot the correct car by forcing drives to display a lighted sign from their company. Uber and Lyft have also promised to continue ongoing efforts to prevent these mistakes.
Following Josephson’s death, over 70,000 people have signed a petition to ask ride-sharing apps to add a QR code to all of their cars to ensure the safety of both the passenger and the driver. Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/get-qr-codes-for-uber-lyft-drivers
Next time you use a ride sharing app, make sure to take all the necessary precautions to make sure the car you are getting into is the right one.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/us/fake-uber-driver-assaults.html