By one in the morning, the stretch of Sixth Street between Congress and I-35 has emptied into the side streets, and the pickup situation becomes its own event. Surge pricing climbs, the same three cars circle, and half the people on the curb are looking at a phone instead of at the vehicle in front of them.
This is the least careful anyone is all night, and it is the moment that requires the most care. Not because rideshare is dangerous, but because the ordinary checks people perform without thinking during the day stop happening after a long evening.
Almost none of what follows is about crashes. Most of it is about the thirty seconds before the door closes.
Confirm the Car Before You Touch the Door The single most important habit is also the one most often skipped in a crowd.
Match three things, not one Check the license plate, the vehicle make and model, and the driver’s photo against what the app shows. Plate first, because it is the hardest to fake and the easiest to read from a distance.
Make them say your name Do not announce yourself. The correct question is “who are you picking up?” rather than “are you here for me?” The second version hands a stranger the only piece of inf...