Man records a sound for women to play if they ever feel unsafe in an Uber, Lyft or taxi
This is brilliant.
Keep this sound bookmarked in case you ever feel the need to use it.
We live in an interesting era where we've gone from being told never to get into a car with a stranger to regularly hopping into strangers' back seats and paying them to drive us around. We have long had taxis for that purpose, of course, but with the advent of rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, more people than ever are paying strangers to give them rides.
While Uber and Lyft have both implemented various safety features, including background checks for drivers, the option to share your ride details and real-time location with someone and matching women drivers with women riders, sometimes you still might not feel 100% safe. Whatever the reason, one man has a resource that can put your mind at ease if you're in a car and alarm bells start going off in your head.
Actor Joshua Summerfield shared a video to Instagram that says, "Ladies: Use this sound when you feel unsafe in an Uber, Lyft or taxi." It begins with a ringtone (as if you're calling someone on speaker) and then his voice "picks up," saying "Hey babe, what's up."
Whenever it says "You" on the screen, you read what the text says, so it ends up sounding exactly like you're having a conversation with your partner, who is tracking your location and will be waiting for you when you get dropped off at your location.
The driver can't see the phone screen, of course, so they wouldn't know you weren't talking to a real person. It's a simple ruse, but enough to send a message.
Watch:
Summerfield has been creating videos like this for a few years and shared that he'll have a website up soon where people can buy different versions of these sounds in different formats. (If everyone uses the same sound, it will soon lose its effectiveness.)
People in the comments are so appreciative.
"Can confirm, Uber drivers have not said a word to me when I use this," shared one person.
"Men protecting women. I’m here for it," wrote another.
"Thank you so much for making this 🙌🙏 This is really kind of you to help us feel safe!" wrote another.
Summerfield told Newsweek that he's received ample confirmation that his videos are serving their purpose. "The number of messages I have received from people, saying they have saved the video and shared it with their friends to protect them in certain situations has been mind-blowing," he said. "At the same time, it lets me know I'm doing the right thing and helping people feel safe."
Summerfield has other videos for various scenarios as well, such as this one for women who are being harassed or followed:
He even has a video for a daughter walking home from school where he pretends to be a dad.
Of course, someone could call their actual dad or partner in these situations, but not everyone has that option and sometimes they can't be reached. This is a handy tool to have bookmarked just in case you ever feel the need to use it.
You can follow Joshua Summerfield on Instagram here and TikTok here.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."