President Biden signs federal rideshare safety law named after Robbinsville woman

President Joe Biden signed a measure into law on Jan. 5 to enhance rideshare safety protections. The law, “Sami’s Law,” is named after Samantha Josephson, a University of South Carolina student and Robbinsville native who was killed by a man posing as an Uber Driver. 

H.R. 1082 requires that the Government Accountability Office submit a biennial report to Congress detailing the incidence of assaults involving drivers and passengers of for-hire vehicles. The bill was sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith, who represents New Jersey’s Fourth District.

In 2019, Josephson called an Uber after a night out in Columbia, South Carolina. She got into a vehicle she believed was her ride. She was kidnapped and murdered by the driver of that car, Nathaniel Rowland. After her death, South Carolina lawmakers passed the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act, which requires drivers in the state to display their license plate number on the front of their vehicle while picking up passengers. New Jersey passed similar legislation.