# Is Uber Dangerous? (Kinda Need Answer Fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504 "2016-05-23T23:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/41 "2016-05-26T17:20:25Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Are you supposed to tip? I understand it’s not required, but then it rarely is, unless you’re a waiter serving a table of 14 and the business states it. > > If you don’t tip, do you get down rated? If I got down rated because I didn’t tip, can I down rate the driver for expecting a tip? > > Should my question be a separate thread? Tipping not required; the Uber app doesn’t even provide for it so it would have to be cash. The cashlessness of Uber is one of its attractive points for both sides: customers don’t need to take out their wallet but merely exit the car on arriving, and drivers don’t have the taxi drivers’ worry of being robbed of their fare cash. While the driver can down-rate you for anything or nothing, and _vice versa_ 🙂 in my experience (strictly Chicago so far) drivers don’t expect tips and don’t down-rate for not tipping. I regularly use Uber and have only tipped once (Uber XL with a friend moving a large item) but my rating is 4.9. And I’ve done both nearly-silent and very talkative Uber rides, so I doubt that affects passenger ratings much either. It would be pretty hard to do a retaliatory down-rate. The app asks for your rating of the driver as soon as the ride ends, while you have to go looking in the app for your rating and then you’d have only your overall rating. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/42 "2016-05-26T17:26:18Z")
I think your passenger rating is less about what you do, and more about what you don’t do. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/43 "2016-05-27T04:06:38Z")
I am an Uber driver now. I have made more than a thousand Uber drives. There are no absolutes, but IMO Uber is MUCH safer for the driver and the passenger both than a normal taxi. It’s safer for you as a passenger because: 1. You will have a picture and first name of the driver, and the plate number of the car before they arrive. 2. Uber does in fact do a criminal and driving background check. I can’t speak to how thorough it is, but I was unable to drive for nearly a month while Uber was completing it on me. 3. You don’t exchange any money or credit card info with the driver, greatly reducing any chance of fraud or theft. If something DOES go wrong, Uber can identify the driver, the car and a home address to the police authorities. 4. You can cancel the ride right up to the moment you get in and it starts. In my city, there is no cancellation fee – in some cities there is, but it can be waived with a reasonable explanation of why you didn’t want to get into the car. 5. You can also stop the ride at any point and get out, for instance if you feel the driver is driving unsafely. At most you will only have to pay the fee of the trip up to that point, and that can also be waived with an explanation of why you stopped it early. But never, EVER take an Uber ride (or what you _think_ is an Uber ride) without going through the passenger app to call it and verifying it’s the right car and driver that show up. Don’t ever try to flag down one down, even if it has an Uber or Lyft sign on it. For me as a driver, it’s safer for most of the same reasons. Cabbies are common targets of thieves because they carry around their day’s receipts. I don’t carry any cash at all except maybe enough to stop for a meal. I can also refuse to pick up a passenger who seems in any way unsafe. Some cities require pretty extraordinary background checks of cabbies, including taking finger prints and running them through a state or federal database. If that’s true for your city, a cabbie might be marginally safer than an Uber driver. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bet your local cab company’s background check is any more thorough than Uber’s. Please ask if you have any more specific questions. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/44 "2016-05-27T04:10:57Z")
Yeah, the rating system is a lot of it. I’ve not used Uber (not available around here), but does the rating system give you an idea of how long the person has been doing it and/or how many rides they’ve done? Because that’s what I use when I’m being really cautious on anything. I look at the rating and the number of ratings, and pick high on both. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/45 "2016-05-27T04:22:54Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > How exactly does one be a good passenger? I would sit there and do nothing. Am I obligated to talk to the driver? I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but I’m a pretty introverted person. Great, now I’m stressed out that I’m going to be an inferior passenger! 😛 Don’t smell bad, or bring real smelly food in the car. Don’t eat in the car. Don’t try ro bring a pet in the car unless its in a carrier. Don’t insist on bringing 4 of your friends with you – 3 more is ok, but I will refuse to let in more people than there are seatbelts for (whether they use them or not). Please don’t give driving directions unless the driver asks, or it’s very clear the driver is going the wrong way, or you know something the driver probably doesn’t – like a road you would normally take just got closed for some reason. Don’t smoke – no one’s even tried that in my car yet. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/46 "2016-05-27T04:32:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yeah, the rating system is a lot of it. I’ve not used Uber (not available around here), but does the rating system give you an idea of how long the person has been doing it and/or how many rides they’ve done? > > Because that’s what I use when I’m being really cautious on anything. I look at the rating and the number of ratings, and pick high on both. You get the driver’s rating but not info on how many rides. The rating system is kind of problematic, because Uber expects the normal rating to be 5 out of 5 stars. A lot of people might think a 3 star rating is “average” and 4 stars is “better than average”. They’re not. **4 stars is below average** in Uber’s estimation, and if my rating falls below 4.6, I’ll probably have to sign up for some training course at my own expense. And if it doesn’t get better than 4.6, I face termination. Neither has happened to me. Also, the average is based on the last 500 rides, so a single ride is unlikely to be that damaging. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/47 "2016-05-28T00:14:43Z")
If the worry is being assaulted, raped, murdered, etc… Well, that’s what your concealed weapons license is for. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/48 "2016-05-28T00:25:14Z")
Ask if there’s a woman driver available to pick you up. The answer may well be no, but by telling you husband you will always request this, may be one thing that helps get him to back down. Then, of course, there’s always the “I’m an adult, leave me the fuck alone,” but I’m married too, and I understand how you have to sometimes negotiate. I’ve done stupid things my husband wanted, and I’ve made him do stupid things. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/49 "2016-05-28T01:01:46Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Ask if there’s a woman driver available to pick you up. The answer may well be no, but by telling you husband you will always request this, may be one thing that helps get him to back down. > > Then, of course, there’s always the “I’m an adult, leave me the fuck alone,” but I’m married too, and I understand how you have to sometimes negotiate. I’ve done stupid things my husband wanted, and I’ve made him do stupid things. Impossible with Uber. There’s no one to aak. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/50 "2016-05-28T01:45:34Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Impossible with Uber. There’s no one to aak. Well, nevermind then. I’ve never taken an Uber. Albeit, when I had to pick up a new car, and my husband couldn’t drive me he suggested I take one. Hmmmm… :dubious: I ended up taking my old car, and having a guy at the dealership drive my old car back, and then I drove him in my new car back to the dealership. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/51 "2016-05-28T02:30:43Z")
There is an “Uber for women” coming soon. [SafeHer](http://safeher.com/about-us.php) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/52 "2016-05-29T02:04:43Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There is an “Uber for women” coming soon. [SafeHer](http://safeher.com/about-us.php) Like I can order a woman from my phone? Uber is just as safe, if not more so than a standard yellow cab. I personally love it and have zero sympathy for the traditional cab drivers. Where I live in Hoboken, it’s basically a 1 mile square dense urban area just over the river from Manhattan. A cab ride within town is a flat $5 plus tip. But the cabs don’t cruise around like they do in NYC. They only wait at the taxi stand by the train station or you have to call them and good luck with that. And if you take one from the taxi stand, it’s always a fucking hassle if you want to exercise your right to not have to share a cab with other people. If I’m taking a cab from NY to NJ, you have to negotiate the fare and it’s like $70 because they can’t pick up fares in Jersey So lets see. A GPS powered app where I can summon a nice livery car driven by a polite and friendly driver where I can get an estimate beforehand. Or, getting into some broken down yellow shitbox that smells like ethnic food, BO and pine, where I have to argue with a driver in broken English who may or may not take me the most direct route but will drive like an asshole to get there. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/53 "2016-05-29T02:11:30Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There is an “Uber for women” coming soon. [SafeHer](http://safeher.com/about-us.php) I can already see the lawyers circling over this one. It’s gonna get sued out of existence. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/54 "2016-05-29T03:48:58Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I can already see the lawyers circling over this one. It’s gonna get sued out of existence. On the one hand, yeah, and I’d rather lose this than give anyone ammunition to dismantle EEOC regs. On the other hand, places like Hooters and Tilted Kilt still hire female-only waitstaff – and for sexist reasons rather than safety ones – and haven’t been sued to oblivion (I have no idea how), so maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/55 "2016-05-29T07:01:17Z")
This plan involves not only hiring based on gender discrimination, but apparently selection of customers too. I can’t see it surviving. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/56 "2016-05-29T07:33:58Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > On the one hand, yeah, and I’d rather lose this than give anyone ammunition to dismantle EEOC regs. > > On the other hand, places like Hooters and Tilted Kilt still hire female-only waitstaff – and for sexist reasons rather than safety ones – and haven’t been sued to oblivion (I have no idea how), so maybe not. They’ll probably get away with hiring women only drivers using the [BFOQ](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-can-hooters-hire-only-women-2015-9) Don’t think they’ll be able to get away with only picking up women customers though. Not that this thing is ever going to make it past the concept stage anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/57 "2017-12-18T17:43:11Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > Lebanese authorities have arrested an Uber driver suspected of killing a British woman who worked for the U.K. Embassy in Beirut and whose body was found beside a motorway north of the city with a rope around her neck, officials said Monday. > > In an emailed statement, Uber said it was working with authorities “to assist their investigation in any way we can.” Lebanese media reported that the suspect, a Lebanese citizen, was an Uber driver… > > She was last seen at a bar in Beirut’s Gemayze district Friday night. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the driver picked her up and drove to a nearby neighborhood where she lived, but did not drop her off there. > > Instead, the suspect drove the car to the site where Dykes’ body was later found. NNA said the man tried to sexually assault her, then strangled her with a rope… The murder has shaken Lebanon, where such crimes, particularly against foreigners, are rare. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle\_east/lebanon-detains-suspect-in-killing-of-british-embassy-worker/2017/12/18/814e4bcc-e3c8-11e7-927a-e72eac1e73b6\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanon-detains-suspect-in-killing-of-british-embassy-worker/2017/12/18/814e4bcc-e3c8-11e7-927a-e72eac1e73b6_story.html) No information yet as to whether or not the suspect had a criminal record. But with everything else we have been reading about Uber lately I would not be surprised if it turns out Uber was sloppy doing background checks. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/58 "2017-12-18T18:32:06Z")
It’s a good thing that all cab drivers are standing in line, waiting to be accepted into sainthood. While this story is tragic, I’m not sure how the actions of one Uber driver in Lebanon has much to do with me taking Uber in Chicago. At least I know Uber won’t long haul me or give me the ‘credit card machine is broken’ excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/59 "2017-12-18T19:52:32Z")
Uber corporate were bigger criminals than any drivers. [Updated story here](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/12/18/uber_case_letter/) I take Lyft myself. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504/60 "2017-12-18T19:57:55Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > At least I know Uber won’t long haul me or give me the ‘credit card machine is broken’ excuse. Even if I was planning on paying with cash, whenever I’ve heard that, it’s “Well, thanks for the free ride.” It’s amazing how quickly the credit card machine has been fixed. :rolleyes: If the cabbie agrees (meaning it really _is_ broken), then I’ll pay cash. My biggest fear w/ Uber (& Lyft) is that an Uber driver gets into a bad accident, perhaps a fatal or an amputation. He also neglected to tell his personal vehicle insurance company that he was using his personal vehicle for commercial purposes. Therefore, they get an ‘out’ from paying a multi-million dollar settlement. Uber then turns around & states that since the driver didn’t have appropriate insurance, which is a requirement, their (secondary) insurance doesn’t have to pay out because of the driver not meeting their T&C. The injured / deceased’s estate gets whatever the driver was worth, which lets face it, if they were worth a lot, they probably wouldn’t be driving for Uber. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-uber-dangerous-kinda-need-answer-fast/755504.md?page=4)