Uber and Lyft drivers are put into situations with strangers every day, and while most people are normal and not prone to criminality all it takes is one individual with ill intent to do something for the safety of these drivers to be jeopardized. Uber and Lyft also publicly push their policy that drivers are unarmed, thus making them targets for thieves and other criminals.
From Bearing Arms:
You may have missed the news about the murder of Joe Schelstraete last week. The national media’s been largely silent, though the local media has been pretty good about reporting on the 38-year old father of three who was brutally murdered behind the wheel of his car in the Chicago suburb of Cicero; the latest rideshare driver to lose his life while working for a company that doesn’t allow drivers to be legally armed, even in their own vehicles.
You may have missed the news about the murder of Joe Schelstraete last week. The national media’s been largely silent, though the local media has been pretty good about reporting on the 38-year old father of three who was brutally murdered behind the wheel of his car in the Chicago suburb of Cicero; the latest rideshare driver to lose his life while working for a company that doesn’t allow drivers to be legally armed, even in their own vehicles.
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How about this for a “safety technology solution” – allow drivers to lawfully carry a gun while they’re on the job. Uber and Lyft both have policies that result in an automatic termination for drivers who are caught carrying, even when they use their lawfully-owned firearm in self-defense. Save your life and you could lose your job. Comply with company policy and you could lose your livelihood and your life.
I have no idea if Joe Schelstraete would have chosen to carry a gun while working for Uber if he’d been allowed to do so, but do know that it should be an option for every rideshare driver in the country. No, a change in policy wouldn’t remove the target on drivers’ backs, but it would at least give them a fighting chance to protect themselves if they do become the victim of a violent attack.
Violent attacks that target ride-sharing drivers occur all the time, they are easy targets that according to their employers must be unarmed. In cases where drivers violate these rules and are put into a situation where they have to defend themselves, they are fired.
