Doing the knowledge, staying safe

Not only are the hours long and the task itself arduous, but also it's a business associated with a degree of danger. Money in the cab and a driver alone are always going to be an attractive combination to thieves, never mind the hazards associated with drunks, the decidedly unstable and passengers who just do not feel like paying their fares. Nowhere is this more challenging than in the cities of North America, particularly New York, where to all the usual problems has to be added the easy availability of handguns. Hundreds of police officers have, in the past, been assigned to reducing taxi crime, but it remains the most dangerous job in the city. The Challenge Our challenge is to come up with ideas to make the cabbie's job safer and, if he is going to be robbed, to increase the chances of the assailant being brought to justice – without giving him the opportunity to take it out on the driver. One solution might be to place the driver in an armoured box, but one capable of stopping bullets would add to the weight of the vehicle and be very expensive. Lone workers are increasingly using solutions based on mobile phone technology. However, they do depend on monitoring and the right connections being made, and it isn't yet possible to use technology to locate exactly the person calling and who may need help. A loud alarm is an alternative – but, in a city like New York, setting off an alarm in a crime situation could get the driver shot. Internal surveillance cameras have been strongly recommended, but passengers hate them, especially couples taking a cab home after a night out. What is needed is something unobtrusive, simple, reliable and not too costly. While the number of possible solutions is almost endless, one latest idea has much appeal – and it's being manufactured in a country about as far away from New York as it's possible to get! One solution is described below. Meanwhile, you may have your own thoughts on how cabbies could stay safe – other than talking their customers into a deep hypnotic state, that is! Solution The solution to our challenge – on keeping cabbies safe – is pleasingly simple. A light is placed on the left-hand side of the back of the taxi, with another hidden behind the grille, which both blink if the driver is in trouble. It is crucial that the offender cannot see the lights from within the cab, or from the side when it is drawn up against the kerb. That way, they will be unaware a silent signal has been sent out to alert either a passing police officer or other taxi drivers, who would no doubt soon come to the assistance of a colleague in distress. Lights for this purpose have been designed and are now being manufactured by MGA Industries, a subcontract manufacturer in Lahore, Pakistan, specialising in sheet metal parts for automotive and agricultural applications. The idea came out of a meeting between the chief executive of MGA Industries and a representative of Alcon Taxi. It seems the cabbies now have their guiding light when it comes to being safer on the streets.