Uber has begun trialling dashcams and panic buttons in Cape Town and Johannesburg (respectively) to allay recent safety concerns.
In the wake of recent safety concerns, Uber South Africa has begun trialling both a dashcam and panic button initiative to allay the fears of consumers who’re apprehensive of using the service.
Uber launched its dashcam initiative in May this year – for those who are unfamiliar, a dashcam is a small camera which mounts on a car’s dashboard and continuously records footage until stopped. The idea of the product – which is widely used by general motorists in Russia – is that it will capture footage leading up to an incident and can assist both the police and insurance companies to determine the nature of an accident as well as who is responsible.
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The company has placed dashcams in a select number of participating driver-partner’s vehicles, Fin24 reports. Uber Africa spokesperson Samantha Allenberg, in a statement to Fin24, cited that the company “has begun trialling dashcams and panic buttons in Cape Town and Johannesburg (respectively) to allay recent safety concerns… Riders will be notified about the AV monitoring pilot when a driver accepts their request. They (riders) can choose to decline the ride if they do not agree to the recording.”
Further, the company has begun introducing panic buttons in its driver-partner’s vehicles in Johannesburg, where the units will be linked to the Uber’s central security system.
Allenberg stated that “œThe security team will monitor the devices 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This update will allow driver-partners to receive situation advice and/or emergency services dispatch in a critical situation… Should the pilot prove useful this feature could be introduced to the other cities across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
The trial project follows multiple reports of riders being attacked after requesting an Uber, though Allenberg cites that the company’s decision to introduce both panic buttons and dashcams is not a direct response to any or all incidents thus far.
Read: You can now hail an Uber through Google Maps
What are your thoughts on the introduction of dashcams and panic buttons to Uber vehicles? Would either technology make you feel safer while commuting? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
