In mid-April, three gig workers became victims of violent crime in Florida: woman was kidnapped and sexually assaulted after making a Doordash delivery was a couple’s car shot at after going into the wrong driveway trying to drop off an Instacart order, and that was a man murdered after you make an Uber Eats delivery.

While the news is alarming, the sense of insecurity is an increasing concern for some gig workers.

“Driver and courier safety is a top priority and we will continue to invest in critical safety features such as the ability to chat with a live security officer, record ride audio in the app in nearly 150 US cities, and share their journey with loved ones.” an Uber spokesperson said australiabusinessblog.com.

Roberto Moreno, who previously worked for GrubHub and Postmates in San Diego County, the AP On Monday, he stopped working for ridesharing and delivery services over concerns about his safety.

“We have to take care of ourselves because the companies aren’t doing it,” he told the outlet.

Moreno also noted the disparity between the verification required from drivers and riders. Drivers must submit a selfie, undergo background checks and provide other personal information, but when it comes to passengers, “we don’t know anything about the passengers or the people we deliver to,” he said.

Related: DoorDash employee says customer pulled knife on her during creepy delivery: ‘I just want some human contact’

Gig Workers Rising, an action group fighting for the safety and protection of gig workers, found it that 80 app-based workers were killed on the job between 2017 and 2022 — with 31 murders in 2022 alone, suggesting an increase in violence. The report was based on press reports, police files and court documents.

“App workers around the world are grappling with a business model and workplace practices that leave them facing an unparalleled and racialized health and safety crisis,” the organization wrote in the report.

In 2021, NBC News spoke to 15 gig workers — all of whom said they often “fear for their safety,” and that violence seems to have peaked during and after the pandemic.

That same year, Uber rolled out new safety measures to thoroughly protect drivers like verification for riders using untraceable payment options such as gift cards. Last fallthe company implemented more safety features, such as freezing rider accounts that appear fake or offensive, the ability to video record the ride using the front-facing camera, and recording audio during a ride.

“We designed these new features to provide greater peace of mind while driving and delivering,” the company wrote in the release.

Still, of all gig-driven apps, Uber had the most employee deaths by 2022 with 39% of total crimes, according to the Gig Workers Rising report.

Regarding the Gig Workers Rising report, Uber noted that the death of Milton Pillacela Ayora (who was attributed to Uber in the report) was not connected to the Uber platform, and that another recorded death, Michael Wallace, occurred in 2018. was, but still included in the most recent report.

Related: Uber couriers are concerned their cars are being used to transport drugs