Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol would like to offer…

Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol would like to offer advice to anyone entering an unfamiliar vehicle or ride share:

Before getting inside the vehicle, check the positioning of the child safety lock. In order to locate it, open the rear door and look for a lever. The switch or twist lock is usually near the latch mechanism. This is where the child safety lock is located in most vehicles.

If a predator wants to take advantage of a passenger, one of the things they may do is enable the child safety lock in the back seat. When these are on, the passenger has no way of opening the door and escaping the vehicle.

If the lock is on – do not get in the car! This disables you from opening the door from the inside out, and you would be trapped.