Pamela Anderson has something to say! The actress teamed up with The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the National Limousine Association (NLA) to put Uber, Lyft and the ride-hailing/sharing community on alert in support of the Ride Responsibly campaign.
Unfortunately, the PSA’s safety message is one that hits close to home for the former ‘90s Baywatch star. In 2014, Anderson opened up at the Cannes Film Festival about being a victim of sexual assault. “I was molested from age 6 to 10 by my female babysitter,” she revealed during a speech, the Associated Press reported.
Anderson also said she was raped by a friend’s boyfriend’s brother at the age of 12. “I went to a friend’s boyfriend’s house and when she was busy the boyfriend’s older brother decided he would teach me backgammon which led in to a back massage, which led in to rape. My first heterosexual experience. He was 25 years old, I was 12,” said Anderson.
Now, the former Playboy model is taking a stand by starring in a PSA that warns passengers about the possible risks associated with ride-hailing apps and the potentially spotty backgrounds of some of their drivers. In it, Anderson plays “The Driving Game”, posing basic safety questions to two ride-hail app drivers. She asks the drivers, “Have you ever been drug tested?” and “Have you ever had a background check?” as they fail to provide suitable answers.
Anderson ends up choosing a third option, a driver who is not associated with a ride-hail app, and encourages passengers to only use services that hold their drivers accountable. The longtime animal rights advocate tells the audience to “think before you app” and asks riders to join her in asking for a few common sense measures for everyone’s protection.
