Pamela Anderson has described the ‘uncomfortable’ Uber ride which is making her demand that all drivers face criminal background checks.
The model-turned-actress spoke to DailyMail.com exclusively on Tuesday to reveal how vulnerable she felt when she took an Uber for the first time by herself.
‘I was very uncomfortable even though it was the premiere class, which is supposedly the best.
‘I was in a long evening gown and could see him staring at me in the mirror and over his shoulder.
‘It was very uncomfortable, very late and a long ride home. It made me think of vulnerable young girls alone late at night after a few drinks,’ she said.
Her discomfort prompted her to share a PSA for the National Limousine Association’s latest campaign to implement more rigorous checks on drivers.
The campaign demands that drivers have to pass a fingerprint test to rule them out for having criminal histories which include sexual crimes before they are allowed to accept passengers.
Pamela Anderson revealed to DailyMail.com how she was once left feeling vulnerable and ‘very uncomfortable’ by an Uber driver who she said kept staring over his shoulder at her during a ride. She is seen above in her recent PSA calling for tougher checks on ridesharing drivers
Speaking on Tuesday, she called on other actresses to do more to fight the good fight and further the MeToo movement, urging them to take action rather than just stage symbolic protests or tweet.
‘Awareness is important, but I think action is more important.
‘I encourage people to follow their passion and live their lives with meaning and purpose, but also to not think they’ve accomplished anything with just a hashtag by itself.
‘Everyone must protect themselves by using common sense, and we must teach our children to be safe,’ Anderson, 50, said.
The remarks came in the shadow of the Golden Globes, where dozens of actresses and actors wore black in a show of solidarity for the Time’s Up movement which calls for an end to gender inequality and sexual misconduct.
Anderson did not attend the Los Angeles ceremony but said it was ‘great’ and ‘heartfelt’ to see so many stars take a stand.
Anderson, a mother-of-two, also implored Uber and other ride-sharing companies to start taking responsibility for their drivers by naming them as employees instead of third-parties.
The technicality absolves them of responsibility if and when the drivers break the law.
‘Modern technology is all very interesting, but we must not allow tech to advance so quickly that citizens are unsafe. I urge everyone to be smart and proactive in keeping ourselves and our children safe.
‘People have a false sense of security with these apps. It’s imperative that passengers not just assume it’s safe because everyone else is doing it,’ Anderson said.
While her colleagues fight the good fight in Tinseltown, Anderson is watching from afar in her adopted home country of France.
Anderson, 50, is calling for all ride-sharing app drivers to have to undergo fingerprint tests to ensure none have histories of sexual crimes
The 50-year-old is pictured filming the National Limousine Association PSA in a faux fur coat and glamorous sunglasses
‘The USA is a bit crazy right now, with a lot of talk that I just really, really hope gets put into action,’ she said, adding that life in France ‘is a dream’.
Anderson has not been quiet on the issue of sexual harassment since it took Hollywood by storm in October with the revelations against Harvey Weinstein.
The Playboy darling said she knew Weinstein, 65, had a reputation for preying on young actresses when she started out in the business and that she learned early on to avoid him.
‘You know what you’re getting in to if you go to a hotel room, alone,’ Anderson told Megyn Kelly last month.
Anderson, who is living in France, said her life there is a ‘dream’ and acknowledged things in the USA had become a ‘little crazy’ in the wake of the celebrity sexual harassment scandals
In what appeared to be a jibe at his victims, she said it was ‘no excuse’ to presume the meetings were safe just because they were set up by agents, a claim which has been made by actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow as they detailed their run-ins with Weinstein.
‘I just think there’s easy ways to remedy that. That’s not a good excuse,’ Anderson said.
Earlier, she said she had long learned how to avoid being put in the very situation many of Weinstein’s accusers described.
‘I learned not to put myself in those positions. When I came to Hollywood, I had a lot of offers to do private auditions and things that just made no sense, just common sense.
‘Don’t go into a hotel room alone. If someone answers the door in a bathrobe, leave.
Accusations against Uber and Lyft drivers sexually assaulting female passengers have plagues both companies over the last year.
In London, the problem became so severe that the company has been outlawed by transport agencies.
They are appealing the decision.