Accepted a free ride from a Taxi driver and regretted it

So, this happened to me (27F) about six years ago. At the time, I was working in a bar, so I got off work pretty late—usually around 3 AM. Since I lived quite close to the bar, I would always walk home after my shift.

There were two different routes I could take. One was along the street where most of the city's bars and clubs were, and it was usually really crowded. Since I was exhausted and didn’t want to see any more people that night, I took the other route, which was much quieter but also darker, and I never felt very safe there at night.

As I was walking, a group of drunk guys approached me, blocking my way. I made it clear that I had no interest in talking to them, so they eventually let me pass. A nearby taxi driver must have seen what happened because he rolled down his window and asked if I needed a ride home. I declined, saying that I didn’t have far to go, but he insisted, saying he wouldn’t charge me.

I thought maybe he was just looking out for me since he had seen the incident with the drunk guys. So, I made the really stupid decision to accept his offer.

After I got in, he asked for my address, and we started driving. I even offered to pay him, but he refused. Shortly after, we arrived near my home, but instead of stopping, he drove past it. I asked where he was going, and he acted like it was an accident, saying he was just looking for a place to turn around. But he kept driving for a few more minutes until we ended up in an industrial area, where he pulled into a dead end.

At this point, I was terrified, but I didn’t know what to do—especially since my phone had died earlier. I just said, “Well, this is a perfect opportunity for you to turn around.” He looked at me, and I think he got scared to follow through with whatever he had planned. After a moment, he simply said I was right, turned the car around, and drove me back to my place.

My heart was pounding as I got out of the car, but I was really, really grateful that nothing terrible happened that night. I know it was incredibly stupid to get into the car in the first place, and I still don’t fully understand why I made that decision. I think I just got lucky in the end.