Transportation Safety Tips
Taxi Driver Safety
1. Radio and the dispatcher. These are your most vital assets in the vehicle. The
dispatcher can assist you in most any event that would occur. Know how to use the radio
correctly.
2. Be alert and aware. Don’t allow yourself to become complacent and obtain “tunnelvision”.
3. Do not flash or display your money.
4. Size up your passenger - assess risk. Most passengers will pose some level of risk to
you. Read them - assess them, then act accordingly. You must remember this point:
Never underestimate anybody!
5. Greet-and maintain eye contact with the fare when picking up.
6. Know the city.
7. Trust your instincts. All your life while you grew up you learned things and stored the
experiences in your mind. These learned experiences make up our "data" banks. These
banks provide us with knowledge and understanding. These banks are what cause your
"instincts" to react. These reactions are very real. Your gut instinct will be right 99% of
the time. Listen to what your body is telling you!
8. Know emergency procedures.
9. Always keep your windows rolled up. It doesn’t have to be all the way up. It can be
open enough to speak through to someone.
10. Always keep you doors locked. This is extremely important if you are sitting at a
stand, or on the street. Often you may be reading a paper or book while waiting for that
next trip, and you sure don't want someone to come up beside you on foot without you
noticing them and jerking open your door and attacking you. This also provides you the
method to force the customer into the rear seats if you wish, or to ensure they sit on the
right side of the rear seat, not behind you if at all possible. The idea is not to be taken by
surprise.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department - Crime Prevention
601 East Trade Street  Charlotte, NC 28202
For more information, visit www.cmpd.org or call us at 704.336.2310
11. Be extra careful late at night. The most dangerous hours for you to operate in are
between 6:00 pm in the evening and 6:00 am in the morning. In particular, the darkest
hours between 12:00 midnight and 04:00 am. Most assaults and robberies committed
against taxi drivers occur during these late hours. At this time of the night, there a few
people around as witnesses, and many of your customers will have been drinking, and
liquor always causes trouble. And of course we all know, most criminals prefer to
conduct their business in the dark hours. Even though these can be your most tiring
hours, you cannot afford to be careless and unaware. You must maintain a high state of
alertness during these periods of time.
12. Be aware of passengers who give you "vague" instructions. This is usually a trap for
armed robberies or other crimes to occur.
13. Be careful of passenger seated behind you (Primary danger Zone). This is the seat
where you are most vulnerable to an attack from a rear occupant.
14. Keep an eye on suspicious passengers.
15. Never tell customers you had a good shift. If the occupant is out to get you, you just
told him you made a lot of money. Keep that to yourself.
16. Carry a spare key.
17. Never, ever, drive into alleys or back lanes.
18. Know your location at all times.
19. Check all emergency equipment at the start of shift.
20. Never take more than 4 passengers.
21. Encourage the use of credit or debit cards. This is less cash you will have on hand to
be stolen if you are robbed.
22. Do not be aggressive or argumentative.
23. Keep calm - do not panic. Important potions of information are easily overlooked
when you lose your wits. Remain focused if something happens to you.
24. DO NOT RESIST a robbery (co-operate). The money isn’t worth your life.
25. Look for an escape opportunity. If you can safely get away from criminal action, by
all means take that step. Don’t do anything that would get yourself or others harmed.
26. Memorize the suspect's description. Also, get a direction of travel, what type of
weapon was used (if any) and if the suspect used another vehicle to get away from the
scene.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department - Crime Prevention
601 East Trade Street  Charlotte, NC 28202
For more information, visit www.cmpd.org or call us at 704.336.2310