Safety In Foreign Taxis

The overwhelming majority of taxi owners are not dangerous and the overwhelming majority of taxi journeys pass without incident. However, there have been problems at home and abroad, so it is worth taking fundamental safety steps. The added difficulty while using a taxi abroad, obviously, is the language and cultural barrier.

The purpose of this piece is to make you aware of your safety whilst taking a taxi abroad, but these safety pointers ought to be applied just as much in your own country. Safety, particularly personal safety, should become one of your foremost worries.

The first bit of advice is to take a taxi from a taxi rank. Do not take a taxi from someone who is touting his taxi service outside the airport or the train station. Most countries have a structure of organized taxi ranks, but there are always rogue taxi drivers attempting to by-pass the official system.

If there is no taxi rank enquire of one of the police, that can be seen standing around each public transport building. If that does not work, go into a hotel, restaurant or bar and request the proprietor to phone you a taxi. Before you step into the taxi, commit the registration number or number plate of the taxi to memory and write it down once you are in the cab.

If you are arriving in the place from a long distance away, know the location of the building you want to visit. This is easily done by going to Google Earth, typing the address in and printing off the map. Then you know if you are being taken for a ride quite literally. Do not permit yourself to be taken anywhere you do not wish to go. Sit in the back so that you have the upper hand if you need it.

Keep you precious belongings near you, then if you need to make a dash for it, you will have your essentials and the details of the taxi that you wrote down earlier.

Does the car look like a taxi or does it look like someone's private car? You have more likelihood of being ripped off by a private hire car than a firm with a boss and a license to lose. Most legitimate taxis will have the company's phone number written on them, so ask for a card or jot it down.

If you are travelling alone, endeavour to share the taxi with another foreigner. Most foreigners are looking for a hotel to stay as soon as they arrive, so this is not as difficult as it may sound. Do not allow another local to share with you, because you do not know who they are - they could be a team.

Finally, do not step into a car that is in very poor condition. If the driver is on the level, the car will look clean and the windows and the door handles will work. Do not get into a car without internal door handles..

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several subjects, and is now concerned with RX Safety Glasses. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at Safety Glasses Bifocal