Rideshare services can feel like the perfect solution when you need transportation but you aren’t in a good position to drive yourself somewhere. You don’t need to look up a phone number for a taxi company and worry about what kind of people they hire. You can get information right on your phone about the driver coming to get you.
It can sometimes be just a matter of minutes between when you tap on the app and when you get into a safe ride home. Unfortunately for a small fraction of users, catching a rideshare ride will result in a terrible personal experience. What are the two biggest risks when you get into a rideshare vehicle?
You could experience a crash
Although you likely hired a rideshare driver because you know it wasn’t a good time for you to drive yourself, there is no guarantee about how safe they will be at the wheel. Even if they are an excellent driver, you could cross paths with someone who is drunk or distracted at the wheel.
There’s no way to know what kind of dangers you might face out on the roads. Thankfully, passengers in a rideshare vehicle will typically have a commercial insurance policy provided by the rideshare company to cover them in the event of a collision.
You could be the victim of a driver assault
There are two different kinds of assaults commonly associated with rideshare services. One is where someone waiting for a ride ends up tricked by someone posing as their driver and assaulted. The other is when the person actually working for the rideshare company turns violent.
There have been numerous reports of sexual assaults and other criminal attacks targeting the people who get into rideshare vehicles. Your best chances of securing justice after such an incident will involve both making a formal report to law enforcement and a report to the rideshare app as soon as possible.
Both those who become victims of crime and those who get hurt and rideshare vehicles may have legal rights. You could potentially file an insurance claim or even a civil lawsuit against the company or the individual driver. Reviewing the circumstances that led to your injury or attack can help you determine your rights after a negative rideshare experience.