You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?

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"You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?" This is not the sort of observation I want to hear. These guys had set off my Spidey sense immediately. It tingled still more when they wouldn't tell me where they wanted to go, just directing me turn by turn. But the bit about the camera (which I personally think is useless—it'll only help the police figure out who killed us, reference any psychological studies of deterrence you like), this is disturbing.

For the first time in five years, I hit my panic button. This is supposed to be rapidly followed by the appearance of my compatriots in the area, of which there should be plenty. Apparently not. I seethe, picturing the scene in dispatch, my button going off while the dispatcher is probably bidding on eBay.

The tension in the cab is getting unbearable, and I do what I usually do when I get nervous or scared: be as funny as possible. There's actually sound psychological reasoning behind this (unlike the cameras). Most criminals depersonalize their victims to some extent, making it easier to hurt them. But if they start laughing at your re-enactment of a Chris Rock routine....

I'm approaching a dark park and a narrow street, and am just about to bail at a stop sign, just take off on foot, when the two guys look at each other and simply get out without a word. But I have more than a few for my dispatcher when I call in.

01.18.2006 at 10:00 Reply

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You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?I'm all for your blurb here, but I would rather you not tell everyone that these cameras are basically useless. If a potential robber gets into my cab thinking that my dispatcher is just a button away then hopefully that's one less fare in my 30+ per night that I have to worry about. A little discretion is good for the soul, and my peace of mind. M.—Another (female) night cabbie

01.19.2006 at 10:00 Reply

You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?I wholeheartedly agree with that other driver. If that camera were (possibly) the one thing that had kept someone on the fence before, you telling this might be the nudge they need. I've polled most of my friends and a few coworkers since this article came out, most of them admit they have never given a thought one to the cameras in cabs. After speculating on my questions, they have thought the camera photos were "beamed" directly to the dispatch office. My friends are (assumably) the type to not rob a cab driver, but I think you might have jeopardized a few other people by telling this. I believe you have a dangerous job, presumably more so for females, and need every little advantage you can get. What if these 2 guys (or any others, now) are prepared for the Chris Rock? —John

uselessness of cameraMy statement that the cameras are useless are not based on what they do. They do what they are supposed to do. They take pictures of who gets in the cab. If a crime is committed, the cops can look at the pictures. Why I think they are useless is that there is absolutely no evidence that anyone who gets into a cab planning to do us harm is going to be stopped by the camera. Some guy desperate for $50 for his next rock isn't even going to _notice_ the camera, much less care. I'm not being flippant when I suggest referring to any psych studies of deterrence you like. The classic example is capital punishment. It's a "deterrent." Yet states that have it have the same, or even higher, murder rates than those that do not. I do this job accepting that it is risky, yet wishing it was less so. But the camera doesn't make me feel safer. When they put the GPS in all the cabs yes, that was useful, that makes me feel better. Camera, no. But then that's one woman's opinion, no?—NIGHT CABBIE

01.20.2006 at 10:00 Reply

You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?Sure they didn't want to act like jackasses for HBO? I used to drive cab down in Eugene, and I got that at least once a night. As if that was stop 3 after Vegas and NYC.—DeezNutz

01.21.2006 at 10:00 Reply

You don't have one of those cameras in this cab, do you?If you want a deterrent, buy a gun or better yet study martial arts or perhaps carry a tasor. There is nothing quite like a good offense which can be used as defense. I feel a lot of empathy for your position and I admire your resolve and determination to work with such varying conditions. (Like many of you I do not like guns particularly, but when it comes to protection; it is us agaisnt 'them' in the end.)—Hans

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