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.