If I am riding in a cab or Uber and the driver gets pulled over for speeding, am I obligated to give the police my information?
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If I am riding in a cab or Uber and the driver gets pulled over for speeding, am I obligated to give the police my information?
I was riding in an Uber who got pulled over for speeding. I was asked for my
info and I feel that I was violated. I know if your just a passenger and if asked for my info in a routine stop but in a cab I’m an innocent bystander right?
Asked on April 16, 2018 under General Practice, Missouri
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
The officer can likely do this:
1) Believe that he (i.e. the authorities) may possibly need you as a witness or get further information from, such as about what you observed while riding in the car. You were a witness to the infraction, and the police can gather contact information for witnesses. Checking your ID is the most certain way to confirm your address, etc.
2) You were in an Uber. An Uber is not a cab; it is a private car. It is NOT as immediately obvious that you are a customer, not an associate, of the driver. The officer has only what you and the driver tell him in that regards--it's like you are in the backseat of a vehicle painted as a cab and belonging to a known cab company. Generally, the laws involving Uber are still evolving, but it is not clear yet to what degree they (and the people in them) are treated like cabs & customers, or instead like private cars and passengers.
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