[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Featured Image caption” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px”]<\/p>\n
The Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act was introduced only a fews days after Samantha Josephson\u2019s body was found nearly 60 miles away from where she was kidnapped in Five Points.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
South Carolina lawmakers have introduced the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act that would require all rideshare vehicles to have illuminated signs while the driver is on duty.<\/span><\/p>\n Samantha Josephson, a 21-year-old USC student, was killed March 29 after she mistakenly climbed into a car she believe was her Uber ride while out in the downtown entertainment district of Five Points.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not surprised things like this happen. But I was surprised that she really mistook a car for her Uber and someone could take advantage of that,\u201d Samuel Zhou said. \u201cI was also surprised at how bad the Uber system is to where someone could fake being an Uber and kidnap someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Zhou, a Clemson University senior, often travels to Columbia frequently to visit his brother who attends the University of South Carolina. He prefers to drive himself most of the time but has used Uber to avoid parking and driving home after going out downtown. He thinks the new act is a step in the right direction, but it might not be enough to solve the issue of ridesharing safety.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just slap on sticker and call it a day. I don\u2019t think they should just pass it without having it looked at by a professional. I think a lighting specialist or an engineer should look at it before getting something completely useless. In an impaired state, they won\u2019t care as much. But anything that can help a student identify the car, they should take it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The bill would require illuminated signs, distinguishing rideshare vehicles from other vehicles. Illuminated signs would also have to be produced by the individual rideshare companies. This would ensure the public could not purchase a generic light in store and place in their car. When a driver finishes employment for these companies, the legislation would require them to turn the light back in or sign an affidavit.<\/span><\/p>\n As a mother, Tateesha Smith was heartbroken after hearing about Josephson going missing and her body being discovered \u00a0a day later. Smith has a 21-year-old daughter who attends USC and, like other students, goes to Five Points. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was angry about the situation because that man took advantage of her. But something else I\u2019m concerned about is the people at the bars. After a certain time, you need to stop serving alcohol to these kids. They aren\u2019t grown enough to handle it,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Smith believes the legislation is a good start but said she wants to require students to use the designated area for Ubers to pick up and drop off passengers as well.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut if those students can\u2019t even make it to those pick up areas, that goes in hand with the bars as well. They need to stop serving alcohol so these students can get to these areas. Then there needs to be officers there to help these students verify that the cars they are getting into are Ubers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n State Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, sponsor of the bill, recognizes that more needs to be done and welcomes comments about the designated areas, but believes that the bill will address most of those safety concerns. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like for USC, local Columbia and the government to get together and maybe for entertainment districts have a pick up point for Ubers,\u201d Rose said. \u201cI think that is something that should be looked into but I really thing that is a law enforcement issue, maybe not something that\u2019s mandated by state law. But what we\u2019re talking about right here should be mandated by state law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BillReactP2_Web.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n State Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, said that the bill he sponsored will address most safety concerns regarding the authenticity of the lights used by ridesharing companies.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BillReactP3_Web.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Hundreds of young people and cars fill the Five Points district every weekend, making it difficult at times to distinguish which cars are actually rideshare vehicles.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BillReactG1_TG_Web.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BillReactP4_Web2.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Uber drivers are currently required to have specific stickers in their windshields. In other market cities, Ubers already use lights to differentiate themselves from other vehicles.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New legislation will require rideshare drivers to have illuminated lights in their cars but some think it’s not enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":20267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,68],"tags":[612,96,159,137,643],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20104"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20104"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20306,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20104\/revisions\/20306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}