DENVER, Colorado — Last week, a University of South Carolina student was killed after she mistook a vehicle for the Uber she called to get her home safely.
The state law enforcement division said the child locks were enabled on the car Samantha Josephson entered based on vehicle surveillance footage captured that night.
"There is no way that I know of, or have been able to find, to open the door from inside when the child lock is engaged," said Mark Stolberg with MasterDrive.
This week, rideshare giants like Uber and Lyft are encouraging riders to familiarize themselves with their safety tips. The University of South Carolina also launched the campaign "what's my name?" in an effort to get people in the right cars.
Here's how you can identify the rideshare you called and ensure the child safety locks are disabled before you get inside.
1. Check the make, model and license plate.
Both Uber and Lyft provide the license plate for the car you called in the app. Before getting into the vehicle, check that the license plate number matches what you see in the app.
2. Ask the driver who they're picking up.
Rideshare drivers are given the name of their passenger upon accepting a ride. Before getting into the vehicle, ask the driver to confirm who they're there to pick up. If they don't have your name, it's likely not your ride.
3. Check that your driver matches the picture provided.
Uber and Lyft provide riders with a picture of the driver picking them up. Before getting into the vehicle, make sure the person behind the wheel is the person pictured in the app.
4. Find the child lock on the side of the back passenger door.
Before getting inside the vehicle, open the back passenger door and look for a lever, switch or twist lock near the side as pictured below. This is where the child safety lock is located on most vehicles.
"Every one that we’ve looked at has been around the latch mechanism because it disconnects the latch mechanism from the inside," Stolberg said.
5. Check to make sure the child safety lock is set to the unlock position.
An indentation above the child safety lock lever, switch, or twist lock on the side of the door will tell you which position is locked and which is unlocked. Set the switch to the unlock position.
For a twist lock, use any key or narrow flat surface to twist the lock to the unlock position.
Mark Stolberg said the person driving the vehicle wouldn't know you moved the lock "unless they see or hear you do that."
Stolberg made the point there are reasons the lock could have been enabled.
"It could've been accidental. The driver could have had their kids dropped off at school this morning and they just didn't undo the lock," he said.
6. Share your trip details with a friend.
Once safely inside of the correct vehicle, use the "share status" button in the rideshare app so your friends or family can track your location and make sure you get home safely.
In Uber, this feature will also share your driver's name, photo, and license plate number.
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