OCEAN COUNTY – Do ever feel unsafe or in danger while taking an Uber?
A county-wide ride-share safety announcement has been made by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. This initiative is to help broadcast the issue and make residents more aware of the dangers behind it.
21-year-old Samantha “Sami” Josephson, a resident of Robbinsville, stepped into a stranger’s car mistaking it as her ride. Sami could not escape the car due to certain locks. Sami was kidnapped and murdered by someone pretending to be her Uber driver.
As a result to this incident, Sami’s parents Seymour and Marci Josephson decided they wanted to share her story to alert others and inform them of these issues. The family established the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation, which will remind people to ask the driver to repeat back their name before entering the car.
After Sami’s death, South Carolina legislators devised the “Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act” which requires all ride-sharing vehicles to have lit up sign of the company’s logo that the company has provided for them. The Governor of South Carolina later signed the bill.
Back in June of 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed “Sami’s Law” that will be going into effect as of March 20. Ride-share companies are now obligated to issue additional identification materials to drivers to help passengers identify their vehicle. The driver must have two identifying markers presented in the front windshield and rear window. Companies also must provide every driver with two copies of a barcode that passengers can scan to validate the identity of the vehicle. Finally, placards must be presented on the driver side and passenger side window that show the driver’s name, photo and license plate number.
There is a $250 fine for drivers who fail to comply with these rules. Companies’ permit to operate in New Jersey will be either suspended or removed.
