NEW YORK – It's a classic urban fear: A woman gets into a cab late at night and is attacked by the driver.
New York City's police added fuel to that fear with statistics showing 14 of the city's reported rapes last year, and two already this year, were committed by for-hire cabbies.
And Police Commissioner William Bratton raised eyebrows with his recent suggestion that women adopt the "buddy system" when riding in cabs late at night, a comment that some felt blamed the victims.
At a news conference Monday, city politicians and women's rights advocates demanded more concrete measures to ensure passenger safety.
One proposal would require taxis and car services like Uber to have a back-seat panic button that could summon the police to a passenger in trouble.
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