Uber is a pretty common word in language nowadays. Most of the time, when college students go out after a night spent at the bars, they call an Uber in order to ensure a safe way home. For those of you who don't know, Uber is essentially a taxi driving service, but instead of yellow cabs and taxi drivers, your driver is a totally normal person who uses their own vehicle to transport people to and from places while receiving money. I'm sure you can think of a few stories, personal or not, that involve something strange or funny that also include an Uber ride, but how far does something have to go to the point of no longer being strange or funny?
On Feb. 22, 2016, a Kalamazoo Uber driver by the name of Jason Dalton admitted to killing six innocent people and injuring two more people in a shooting rampage that took place in between passenger pick up and drop off. One passenger, Matt Mellen, immediately noticed odd behavior in Dalton. Dalton was exhibiting reckless driving: driving over medians, running stop lights, and sideswiping cars. Mellen states, "we got about a mile from my house, and he got a telephone call. After that call, he started driving erratically, running stop signs." It's easy to see that there is something seriously wrong with this Dalton fellow, but how are we supposed to have good judgment on every Uber, taxi, limo, or whatever driver?
Most Uber drivers look like regular citizens. I'm sure if Dalton would have driven in a normal way, nobody would have thought twice about his actions. This makes me think. We as a generation often assume the best in people and put ourselves into dangerous situations. This can lead to problems within not only your personal lives and your family's lives, but also I am positive that I can tell you that Mr. Mellen had no prior knowledge to what Dalton had planned, and had he known about it, he would not have stepped foot into that Uber that night.
What I'm trying to say here is that no matter what, you should always have your guard up, especially when it's late at night. Anything can happen to a person when it comes to crime, so always trust your gut, and if something feels sketchy, immediately rid yourself of it.
All factual information came from Fox News.
