Taxi Tactics

I was leaving an airport the other day to begin my drive home and watched as a lady got into a taxi from the rank and I started to ask myself, I wonder what she considered before getting into the taxi?

Are you safe?
Whilst the majority of time you will be safe hailing a taxi or ordering a Uber, due thought and consideration of the potential dangers will aid in raising your chances of having a smooth and uneventful ride to your destination.

What do you think about before getting in a taxi or Uber?

Before I get in a taxi I check the following:
– is the company a known taxi company?
– is the vehicle registered?
– does the drivers photo match their face? (This one is important as there are some drivers who lend their registration to family members)
– are the mannerisms that the driver is displaying consistent with what you would expect?
– is the child lock on, preventing me from leaving?  (A good way to check is to ensure that the window is wound all the way down then enter the taxi and immediately try to open the door, if the door opens – happy days, if not consider escaping through the window you opened.)
– do I have anything that might place me at risk of attack?  Person – Property – Life.

What are your options?
– Book a taxi or uber instead of using a rank
– Ask the driver to confirm the name the booking was under
– trust your gut
– try and sit behind the driver (makes it harder for them to attack you and statistically speaking you have a greater chance of survival in the event of an accident)

The choices that I make can either give opportunity to someone who has the capability to do me harm, or they can take that opportunity away.  What choices would you rather make?

InDefence offers specialist training operating in and around vehicles for individuals, small groups, corporate and government groups.  These courses can be especially relevant to the following groups of people:

– Families considering overseas travel
– Companies who have staff that regularly rely on taxi travel
– Government groups who require personal safety training around vehicles in potentially volatile environments.

Please contact us at InDefence if you have any questions in relation to the above.

Thanks,

Rich
Instructor
InDefence Personal Safety Specialists