Uber's 911 button is now available for riders in the app

Uber's (newish) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he's all about safety — for riders, drivers, pedestrians, and other people on the road.

That's why last month he spearheaded a series of new features and updates to the ride-hailing app. A suite of new safety features, including more vigorous driver background checks, a list of trusted contacts to alert about your travel plans, and a new in-app safety center were previewed. On Tuesday, they're going live.

As part of the new safety rollout, a 911 button will be available to all riders. In the coming months, the driver app will offer a similar safety tool to dial law enforcement directly. Live location sharing to emergency dispatchers in seven initial cities will also go live. Read more...