I carry Pepper Spray and a tazer, both put in different parts of the vehicle for access and multiple units of it. They are never within reach of passengers and I can easily deploy them as needed. Make sure you rotate your pepper spray out of service every 6 months to maintain maximum effectiveness…that stuff does break down and coagulate over time
The thing about pepper spray is if you use it in your car, you at not be able to drive away, then you’d be stuck with the person you sprayed.
I never get what people anticipate happening to them? Is there a certain pax, race or something or just some random crazy person where they have their account information?
Don’t use pepper spray in the car. Your car will be out of service for hours. In fact, I’d suggest having someone pepper spray you so that you know how it feels. Carry a knife in your pocket. Memorize the locations of the police stations in your city and nearby areas.
The best protection is not to drive. If you’re that insecure about your safety, feel that unsafe and think people are going to attack you I’d say to stay home. You can choose not pick a pax up in a bad area, I think anything else is being paranoid.
I carry a nasty serrated K-Bar knife. Also have a black jack in my driver side door storage area. With the Phx rate cuts I’ll never be able to afford that Glock 19. LOL
I hired an ex Taco Bell exec (he was newly unemployed and cheap) to hide in my trunk. Any sign of trouble and he immediately comes out swinging; just as long as I keep him liquored up…
The Taco guy knew there was a cam and it didn’t deter him since he was drunk. I’d say before you drive to consider the scenarios and how you will defend yourself. I think in every case the answer is put the car in park and leave.
No one is robbing a driver, we know who the pax is so they aren’t getting away with anything. People here see too many movies and think of taxi examples where its a street hail and the driver gets robbed. If you think of too many scenarios and you don’t have a solution I would stop driving.
Knife is a bad idea. There is no way you can stab a passenger from the front seat. And if you are out of your car, you shouldnt be getting stabby.
Maglite that takes four D sized batteries and within the reach between center console and seat. One hit with that heavy duty metal should incapacitate the attacker hopefully!
Geez, you will have a problem if you get pulled over and a bigger problem if you get uncomfortable with a pax. I don’t think this work is for you. Don’t get arrested.
Ok well that’s your deal. You should have at least one, imo…but to each their own. I carry self-defense weapons everywhere I go, not just while driving for Uber/Lyft. Come off it already.
I would have a Glock with plenty of target practice if I was going to need anything. That seems to be the only thing that works these days. None of the self defense weapons mentioned will work if you really are in that kind of situation, in your car.
I don’t carry. A knife is just as bad, I think worse. Just showing a gun will get a pax out of the car, which needs to be your intention above anything else. Get out. Show gun. Next ping.
That goes back to the point that there is no need to carry defensive weapons. I don’t recommend driving if you think you need one. Having one and needing one are different.