'I woke up and his hand was right up my skirt': Maura Higgins shares story of taxi assault

Love Island contestant Maura Higgins from Longford

Love Island star Maura Higgins shared a harrowing personal story on an Instagram questions and answers session. 

Maura was asked what her worst experience with a man was, and said "would you believe I have a few.

"I had an incident with a taxi driver a long time ago in Ireland."

Maura explained that she was dropped off after her friends, as she was living alone at the time. 

"Silly me, I fell asleep.

"I woke up and his hand was right up my skirt, and honestly I sobered up so quickly and memorised his taxi number, and still remembered it the next day." 

Maura Higgins at The Gossies Awards 2022 at The Convention Centre, Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy No Repro Fee

Maura is not the only person to experience a situation like this. The Central Statistics Office found an increase of 22% in rape offences and a 17% increase in sexual assault this year. 

Transport for Ireland recommend their app TFI Driver Check to maintain your safety when travelling by taxi. 

The app allows users to check that the vehicle they are about to hire has been registered correctly and that the driver has the appropriate license to operate the vehicle. If the information is not accurate, or you find the driver is not registered and licensed, you can submit a report. 

You can check these details and see a picture of your driver, and see the information matches up. You have the option to send the driver's information to a friend or family member, so you are assured somebody knows where you are and your trip is recorded. However, you can't send on the picture of the driver. 

All of Ireland’s taxis, hackneys, limousines and all Small Public Service Vehicles drivers are covered by this app. 

The app works in rural locations as well as cities such as Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced in May of this year that a night-time economy charter as part of a wider zero-tolerance strategy of sexual violence and harassment will be introduced.  

This will entail venues to establish and enforce minimum safety standards for all patrons, employees, contractors, artists, and crews in collaboration with gardaí and will include bodies such as the National Taxi Drivers Union.