Using Uber To Get Home From Tonight's Parties? Heed Safety Tips

If you’re going out to celebrate New Year’s Eve tonight, have you figured out how you’re getting home?

If you don’t have a designated driver already, perhaps you’ll want to download the smartphone app Uber.

If you spend much time in New York or other cities, you’ve probably heard of Uber, which enables users to get a ride in much less time and with less hassle than calling a taxi.

The service, which got its start in May 2010 in San Francisco and now operates in 200 cities nationwide, has begun to spread to the suburbs, including Ocean and Monmouth counties.

According to the website Growthhackers.com, the app is integrated with Google maps so you can see how far away the nearest cars are, set a meeting point on the screen, and hail a car to meet you there. The driver confirms your request, picks you up, takes you to your destination, and when you arrive, the app charges your credit card.

But there have been issues, with passengers injured in car accidents and a few drivers accused of crimes.

On its website, Uber says it conducts thorough background checks on its drivers, examining criminal histories and continuously monitoring driving records, among other things.

But there are things you can do to keep yourself safe while using the service:

• Travel in pairs. There is safety in numbers.
• Be sure you confirm the driver who arrives matches the information supplied by the app. Uber sends name, phone number, license plate and photo of the driver you’ve hailed.
• If a driver asks for cash, walk away. Uber (and services like it) is cashless by design.
• Listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Don’t accept the ride if your intuition tells you something is wrong.