Taxi Driver Safety Tips, Refresh Your Memory

Driving A Taxi Can Be Dangerous

Most taxi cab drivers I know don't think about safety issues often. One reason is Bryan / College Station has very little crime in comparison to most of the larger cities. Crime can happen anyplace at anytime, even in small town America. 

The fact is we're not always in our comfort zone. With Austin and Houston so close a lot of people prefer to hire a taxi rather than fly. We travel to both cities quite a bit. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Never become too complacent. Always think safety!!!

These are some priceless tips for taxi drivers. Most are already aware of them, but rarely abide by them. They will also be listed as text below for those with image disabled browsers.

The majority of crime to a taxi driver happens between midnight and 4 or 5 in the morning.

 Don't Drive When Sleepy

Driving a taxi is not only dangerous from a robbery standpoint, but also car crashes. Taxi drivers are on the road for extended hours. If you feel drowsy to the point your eyes take longer to open when you blink, get some rest. As a cab driver I am all too familiar with this. I have fallen asleep driving. Fortunately I drove into an empty field. No trees, ditches, or anything else that could have killed me. Live to drive another day. 

• Sleep deprivation increases the risk of a sleep-related crash; the less people sleep, the greater the risk. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in such a crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more, while people sleeping less than 5 hours increased their risk four to five times.

• Adults between 18-29 are much more likely to drive while drowsy.

Longer text version of image above. 

• Keep your windows up, and always lock your doors when you are in areas you are not familiar with. Partially lower your window to talk if someone flags you.

• Never flash a lot of cash to your customers. If they ask how your day driving has been tell them slow, or you just started your shift. 

• Be alert when someone wants you to drive them to dark back alleys, or long desolate streets you know come to a dead end.

• Don't let a single person fare sit directly behind you. Especially at night. Tell them it's company policy etc.. 

• Be aware of the city you drive in high crime areas. Also when you drive to other cities you are not familiar with. Do your research.

• The majority say if you get robbed give them the money and don't try to be a hero. It's only money. Keep small amounts.

Drew F. (part time taxi driver) 

Information sources:
Bureau Of Labor Statistics
drowsydriving.org
taxi-library.org
OSHA