All Raleigh City taxi cabs now have flashing lights in case the driver experiences a threatening situation. Police want citizens to call 911 if they see amber lights flashing from a taxi cab's trunk or grille. A city law requires all drivers to have the silent alarm system. Officials adopted the law after an unusually high number of cab robberies in 2008.
Taxi Inspector Lorenzo Milliam says he hopes that this law prevents future taxi robberies.
"If the driver needs help, now he has a means of notifying the police or trying to notify the police with actually picking up the cell phone because of course if there's a robbery, you're not going to try to call 911 with the guy sitting behind you."
Raleigh is the first city in North Carolina to require this type of alarm system. Cab drivers who do not have the system risk paying a $50 fine.