When dealing with a company that pulls riders and drivers alike from anywhere and everywhere with few precautions taken to evaluate the safety and credibility of either, it was only a matter of time before Uber, the company that provides rides to and from ordinary people through their self-service app, was to be bombarded with hard-hitting safety and sexual assault allegations. And they wonder how they ended up in this position.

Uber has historically, at least since its inception in 2009, seen the brunt of various lawsuits and charges that range from riders claiming they were hit over the head with a hammer by their driver to report after report of sexual assault or even rape.

The most recent scandal came about when Buzzfeed News conducted an investigation into reported assaults and found that over a 33-month period over 6,160 of reported tickets included the words “sexual assault” and over 5,827 included the word “rape.”

The company has been extremely hostile when addressing the claims and has refused to release any data regarding the matter. The measures Uber takes when addressing these claims cannot even be argued as adequate. Only in extreme circumstances does the company contact law enforcement, while in most cases the driver is left with nothing more than a warning, according to theverge.com.

While a smack of the hand might be sufficient to rein in an unruly child, this can hardly be considered even close to acceptable and effective means of handling the actions of a sex offender.

Considering how little has been done to curb such problems, the burden of safety is laid on those using the services of a company that has been all too eager to adopt a policy of reckless abandonment when it comes to the safety and well-being of its customers.

Since Uber has become a highly convenient and accessible form of transportation when travelling to and from locations, we would not suggest that one abandon usage of the company or its services altogether. However, it is important when using Uber to be mindful of the safety of the situation.

Always make sure to choose credible drivers with good ratings and try to be picked up and dropped off at public places. Additionally, always try to grab a buddy to ride with you. Do not give away too much personal information, and if anything seems remotely unsafe about the situation, do not take the ride. There is always another car to pick you up just around the corner.

While there is no sure-fire way to avoid any jeopardous encounters when using a company like Uber, always being careful to exercise prudent judgement when en route can take you a long way.