The system of operation used by Uber is good enough to be considered safe. However, you need to ensure that you are also taking responsibility for your own safety: Especially when you are the driver. You can say that a driver isn't safe until they have dropped every rider safely at their destination. How then can you be safe as a driver? In this post we have various tips that apply when discussing driver safety.

1. Take Care of Your Car

Uber Partners and drivers are lucky enough to be spared the 8-5 office hustle but they also have something similar to their office – their car. It is not only their place of operation; it is basically the good they offer the customers. It is important that drivers ensure that their car is neat and in good condition always. Before you drive out in the morning, you are required to check your oil level, radiator water level, tire condition and many other things to ensure that the car is safe to drive. This is a ritual that many private car owners and Uber drivers have long dumped. It is considerable for an everyday car owner, but this is a luxury an Uber driver cannot afford. This is a vital thing to ensure safety for themselves and their passengers. You don’t want your car to break down in a bad neighborhood. (Additional Tip: In addition to ensuring the car roadworthiness in the morning, you are also advised to clean out your car before heading out: be sure that you take out bottles and every other thing that can pass as a weapon in your vehicle).

2. Be Present Minded

When you pick a passenger ensure that you look at them and make them know you can see them clearly. This is you indirectly telling them: “I am your driver, you are passenger. Let’s just do this and get it over with”. During the trip also, you must try not to get carried away. Keep your eye on them from time to time. As you know, most riders would be in the backseat, you have to be vigilant.

3. Be Extra-careful With Riders Who Want to Sit Directly Behind You

It's called the owners corner for a reason, and it’s not directly behind the driver for a reason too. So if you find a rider who wants to sit directly behind you, then you need to be extra conscious. Being a very unusual action, you might want to keep a close watch to ensure that they are not doing anything funny.

4. Drive Safely

The main reason you are meeting the rider is to get them to their destination. There isn't usually a problem if you can do that without any complication (at least most of the time). A person has a right to get agitated when you endanger their life, so ensuring your passenger has a safe and smooth ride is paramount.

5. Watch Your Pickup and Drop-off Locations

Whenever you are to pickup/drop-off a rider, ensure that the pickup location isn't in an area that is too secluded. Same goes for drop-offs. Most riders who order a ride, set an easy pickup location that wouldn’t be too hard to get to. If you suspect that your pickup location is far from cut and dry, then there might be reason to take extra caution.

5. Watch Out for Bad Passenger Ratings

The Uber Business model also incorporates ratings for Uber Passengers as a core part of its rating system. As such, if the Uber passenger requesting pickup has an abysmally bad rating, you might want to pass up on the fare. Some drivers go as far as saying they will not pick up anyone with a rating below 4 out of 5. I am a little more lenient and would say any passenger with a rating less than a 2.5 is probably not a good one. A bad passenger is likely to give you a bad rating, and just logically speaking is probably the type of passenger that is more likely to escalate an otherwise innocuous situation to a dangerous one.

6. Know When to Go the Extra Mile

Very similar to one of the previous points, yet different: Sometimes you pick up a rider and when you get to where you're meant to drop them off, they ask you take them just a bit farther than the drop-off point. Basically, I would say don’t drive into alleys. However, we all have that happy rider that we are sure deserves that much sometimes, so I'd just say know when to go the extra mile. This applies to getting off your car to help with load in the trunk too. Except you drive under a service like UberBLACK where all professional chauffeuring protocols apply, you are not obliged to help with trunk loads, and even if it’s any of those services where it’s required, it’s not compulsory especially if you had an unpleasant/suspicious ride down. Just stay in your car and let them help themselves. These tips are few but I really hope they help you, as it is very important that you play it safe no matter what job you do. If you have any interesting safety hack that you use, feel free to share with us. Stay safe and happy Uber-ing!

For access to our widely acclaimed and free report, written by Malik Akande, a former Accenture Manager and downloaded by thousands of Uber drivers, Uber Partners and Entrepreneurs, on how to increase your Uber revenue, go here.

-by Ola John