Know Before You Go
WHEN 21-YEAR-OLD University of South Carolina student Sami Josephson got into a car she thought was her Uber on March 29, she paid for that mistake with her life. The driver of that car stabbed Josephson to death and dumped her body 65 miles away. In the wake of this tragedy, Josephson’s parents established the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation to educate others about rideshare safety. At whatsmyname.org, visitors are encouraged to use the acronym SAMI to remember the following guidelines:
Stop Review the safety features on your rideshare app. Plan ahead and do a bit of research on where you’re headed.
Ask Before getting in the vehicle, ask your driver, “What’s my name?” to confirm they’ve booked a trip with you via that specific app.
Match Also, before you get in the car, match the license plate number, make, and model of the vehicle with the information provided in the app.
Inform If you’re using Uber, turn on the “share status” function so you can share the details of your trip with a friend. –francesca volte
By Francesca Volpe
Photo by Suzette Lucas [Alexia Guiducci and Julia Castellano hold candles during an April 2, 2019, vigil for Sami Josephson]
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2019 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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