Uber Using Popular ’90s Toy to Distract Drunk Passengers

Uber is hoping a popular toy from the '90s will help keep drunk passengers too busy to distract its drivers.

The company has begun placing Bop It toys in the backs of cars in Charlotte, North Carolina, reports the Verge.

"Folks there have found it's a great way to keep drunk riders entertained so they don't distract their driver," Uber said in a blog post on new safety measures.

The toy test follows recent, highly publicized attacks on Uber drivers by drunk passengers, including one from a former Taco Bell executive who is now suing Uber for recording video of the attack.

"An intoxicated rider who is engaged in something interesting is less likely to be irritable and aiming aggression at the driver," Joe Sullivan, Uber's chief security officer, tells the Guardian.

Uber drivers in Seattle have also been experimenting with passenger-facing mirrors in the back seats of their cars, reports the Guardian, as research has shown people may be better behaved if they can see themselves.