Uber Now Lets You Choose Who Scares You Less Behind the Wheel

Female drivers and riders will soon be able to request to be paired with other women

• Female Uber riders will soon be able to request matching only with female drivers.
• The program launches soon in Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
• Uber says the move is meant to improve safety and comfort for female users.

Growing up, many of us were taught to never accept rides from strangers. Little did we know that companies like Uber and Lyft would eventually have us getting into strangers’ cars and paying them for it.

While a majority of rides are safe and convenient, there have also been a fair number of murders and rapes. Uber’s 2021-2022 US Safety Report revealed there were 36 physical assault fatalities, and 61% of the deaths involved the driver. Interestingly, in nearly half of the incidents, the killer was neither the driver nor the passenger.

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Fatalities are thankfully rare, but sexual assaults are far too common. The report mentioned a staggering 2,717 incidents, which was a decline from the 5,981 reported in 2017-2018.

Those are troubling statistics, and some people are wary about using ride-hailing services for that reason. Uber is now addressing this with a new pilot program designed to make the service better and safer for women.

Starting in a few weeks, Uber will roll out a “Women Preferences” feature in Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. When a female rider is booking a trip, they’ll be presented with a “Choose  Women Drivers” option at the bottom of the screen. This will pair them with a female driver, although users can opt for another driver if the wait time is longer than anticipated.

Users will also be able to set a preference for a woman driver in the settings menu. As the company explained, “While it’s not guaranteed, turning on the Women preference increases your chances of being matched with a woman driver.”

On the flip side, women drivers can also request to be paired with female riders. This includes during peak hours like evenings, but they can toggle the setting on and off to maximize earnings.

Uber originally launched the Women Rider Preference in Saudi Arabia in 2019. It has since expanded to 40 countries, and the United States is now the latest. Uber added that the program will eventually expand across America.

‘They Can Put It in with a Needle:’ Police Officer Says Never Take a Water Bottle From an Uber. Then He Reveals Why

“That way the passenger never notices.”

Photo by: police_g0tur6 & Viktor Avdeev

By: Madeleine Wagner

Nov 19, 2025 at 8:00am ET

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Just when you think you’ve got a handle on everyday risks, there’s a new curveball. Or maybe this is simply the way the world has always been: a place where you keep your eyes open, your mirrors checked, and your head on a metaphorical swivel.

Police officer N. Smith (@police_g0tur6) sees it as his duty to flag emerging scams and dangers. From parking lot problems to protecting yourself in an Uber, Smith’s advice can be unnerving, but it is timely.

In one of his pinned TikToks, he issues a warning that’s been seen almost 12 million times about accepting even sealed drinks in a taxi or Uber.

Just Say “No Thank You”

“All the women and teens out there that take Ubers and taxis everywhere I just was made aware of a new dangers that’s going on. You might want to listen up,” says Smith. 

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He continues, “Now, one of the new things they’re doing is: as soon as you get in the vehicle, they will try to offer you a water.”

For years, sealed drinks have been considered the “safe” option when out and about since any tampering is usually visible. However, Smith issues this chilling warning: “[Some]times what they have done is they have taken a needle and they have injected the bottle with just a little bit of fentanyl. Or whatever it is they decide to use to try to make you lethargic or knock you out.”

There have been isolated reports of drivers drugging water bottles.

What To Watch Out For

Smith insists riders should avoid taking any food or drink from strangers. But, if you’re desperate for hydration, there is a way to check the safety of a sealed bottle: prior to unscrewing the cap, squeeze the bottle. “If water starts leaking out of it, that’s a sure sign that they’ve already laced it,” he explains.

Of course, there’s a workaround for almost everything—including that. And an inventive horror filmmaker has already demonstrated how to disguise a needle hole. In Eugene Kotlyarenko’s horror satire SPREE, a rideshare driver laces a bottle of water with “something.” In a manner that mimics online “how to” videos, he smilingly advises injecting right into the label, vowing, “That way the passenger never notices.”

The movie killer then shares these instructions: “Take your glue gun, that’s been heating up for a second, and then all you gotta do is just a little tap,” he says as he presses a dot of the glue to the puncture hole.

“Airtight,” he says, holding the bottle in the air and showing that there are no leaks, “Well, watertight.”

That it’s based on real events makes it so much more nightmare fuel.

Don’t Eat It, Drink It, or Use It

In the comments of Smith’s post, users shared their own safety strategies. And some shared the mental toll of always being on “high alert.”

“I have all the safety features for my Uber activated,” said Nancy Plant. “It records conversations and if we go further than my address or stop for more than 5 minutes they call me. If I don’t respond they call 911 as my ride is being tracked.”

Another user notes that Uber allows you to “set your Uber preferences to FEMALE ONLY drivers.”

Then a female Uber driver weighed in from the other side of the wheel, writing, “As a female Uber driver, I am glad they pair me with mostly women. I feel safer and my passengers always tell me they feel safer and are happy I’m their driver.” 

The dominant theme was not to accept consumables from strangers. As Ashley said, “I watch too many shows, I don’t accept anything from any stranger.”

Protect Yourself, Protect Your Loved Ones 

According to an article in the New York Times, “Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022.” That same article reported that Uber says that 99.9% of its trips occur without any kind of incident. But because it operates at such a huge scale, a fraction of a percent is still many attacks.

Typically the attacks occur late at night, often with pickups originating near a bar. The offenders are almost always men (drivers or passengers). Internal Uber documents reportedly show they often have records of sexual misconduct complaints and low ratings. Intoxicated passengers are especially vulnerable.

Uber says there are several ways to protect yourself when waiting for a ride, and then when getting into one. Tips include making sure you get into the correct vehicle; sitting in the back seat; and sharing your trip details with someone you trust. But also and perhaps most importantly, Uber suggests that riders “follow their intuition and trust their instincts.”

Motor1 contacted Officer Smith via TikTok direct message, and Uber via their press email. We’ll update this if they get back to us.