"Ridesharing" services like Uber and Lyft are some of the coolest and most convenient innovations of the last few years. With just a few taps of a finger, you can have a driver come pick you up in a matter of minutes and take you wherever you need to go. Provided prices aren't too high due to demand, ridesharing is a wonderful alternative to taking a cab. From the perspective of the actual drivers, working in ridesharing services is a great "side gig" outside of day jobs, and anyone age 21 or over with a car can apply to be a driver. Several taxi and public transportation organizations frequently try to restrict or fully end ridesharing services in municipal areas, but the judges usually side with the ridesharing services, as they are fair competition.

While ridesharing services are great, like anything else that involves the internet or interacting with strangers, there are a few risks that come with ridesharing for both the drivers and the passengers. Over the last few years, there have been quite a number of incidents reported, incidents that take place in the ridesharing car; from passengers assaulting drivers, to drivers being lured into hard drug deals, and of course, countless reports of sexual assault and harassment from both drivers and passengers alike. While ridesharing gone wrong is a rare occurance, there still are enough risks for us to have a discussion on how to safely use ridesharing, and what companies like Uber and Lyft can do to make for a safer experience.

As a driver, the best ways to stay safe are to one, be familiar with the areas you decide to drive in, and two, keep a dashboard camera to record any suspicious incident that might occur. From the passenger's perspective, however, ensuring a safe journey is a little more complicated. The passenger gets to see who will be driving them before they arrive, and are also given a rating from passengers. Obviously, you want to try and stay away from drivers with lower ratings. Uber and Lyft drivers do receive background checks before they can starting working, but they are still very basic and are mostly related to insurance and driving record. This is why you should be the judge; if something doesn't feel right, better safe than sorry. It's also a good idea to consider riding with a friend or family member, as you can split the costs of the ride and have strength in numbers. During the ride itself, always have your phone on you and ready in the event of anything catastrophic happens. The bottom line is to be prepared and understand that the safety of ridesharing is still not perfect. Ridesharing stories are still in the news today, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was recently accused of groping a ridesharing driver.

However, ridesharing safety shouldn't be put directly in the hands of the drivers and passengers, there are plenty of solutions ridesharing services can put in place to reduce incidents. An obvious one is stricter background checks. For a job where one is driving around complete strangers in their own car, there needs to be a background check that looks at EVERYTHING. It would also be a good idea for the services to provide drivers with dashcams, and require to have them on when a trip is taking place. These little things could go a long way.

While they still have improvements to make in terms of safety, ridesharing has gotten off to a great start, and more and more people are hopping onto the bandwagon. Let's hope that the necessary changes are made in the name of safety, because the convenience ridesharing gives you really is a game changer.