Should You Trust Your Ridesharing Services
Ridesharing and driver services in Los Angeles are becoming more and more popular. As people want a way to avoid competing with the over one million other drivers on Los Angeles’ highways every day. Private ridesharing in particular is a new and exciting alternative for people that do not want a taxi but also want to avoid driving. With the alternative options available, though, ridesharing might not be the safest option available.
Regulations
Ridesharing is highly unregulated, even in Los Angeles County. While some people hail the lack of regulations that ultimately make these programs cheaper, there is no way for the customer to know the driver’s record. It is up to individual companies to decide what guidelines to put in place, if any, regarding the quality of their drivers.
Car Sharing
In a private ridesharing program, a customer calls or goes online to reserve a pick-up. The ridesharing program then dispatches the information to a private driver who picks the customer up in the driver’s car. On top of the deregulations in the industry, customers have to trust their safety in an unknown vehicle. This poses a problem if something goes wrong and the customer needs to find a way out of the car and to safety. There is also less control over how drivers conduct themselves on the road. For instance, it is much more difficult to tell speeders to slow down in their own vehicles. These drivers can also remember your location if they want to return later on their own.
Safety Precautions
For those that decide to try a ridesharing program, there are some safety guidelines to keep in mind. Individual ridesharing companies also typically post safety information for conduct during the ride on their website, but here is some additional information.
- Agree on a route. Before the car even goes into gear, customers should agree on a specific route with the driver. Though some companies predetermine the route, other provide more flexibility. Any deviation from the route indicates danger.
- Ask that doors remain unlocked. Many cars have an automatic lock feature as soon as the vehicle reaches a certain speed. Customers should ask the driver to keep the doors unlocked throughout the ride. Customers should never get into a car with a driver that uses the child safety lock.
Ridesharing programs have safety issues due to a lack of regulation that other drivers services in Los Angeles do not experience. Finding the right alternative to taking the wheel is easier with a professional service, such as The Private Chauffeur, that takes licensure and safety seriously.