Ridesharing through the use of a smartphone app is still a relatively new concept. Many people understandably are hesitant to hail an Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing service because they don’t really know how safe it is. To try to quell some of these fears, Uber has shared some ridesharing accident statistics from 2017 and 2018.
According to Uber’s statistics, there were:
- More than 3 million Uber trips completed each day
- 97 fatal crashes accounted for 107 deaths
- Miles-per-crash rate was about 50% of the national average
- Uber enabled more than 10 ways to report a crash
At a cursory glance, the miles-per-crash rate seems to be encouraging since it is lower than the national average. However, it is important to take into account the information that Uber has not openly shared.
The ridesharing giant did not explain the rate of nonfatal accidents caused by its drivers. There is not even a clear mention of nonfatal accidents that caused severe injuries, either to other motorists, riders, or pedestrians. Whenever one piece of information is not shared while other pieces of data are, it opens the situation to speculation, which rarely leads to positive assumptions.
Uber also only shared data about fatal accidents that occurred while a driver was on the way to a fare or completing a route with a passenger in their vehicle. As anyone who has driven for Uber will admit, the majority of their days are not spent completing fares, but rather driving around and waiting for the next ride request. What accidents are happening because an Uber driver is looking at their phone and awaiting a new ride notification? That information is unknown at this time.
Is Ridesharing Safe Then?
Unfortunately, the loosely interpreted and shared safety information released by Uber does not do much to explain any ridesharing worries. While it does not say that ridesharing is unsafe, it does not make a clear argument as to why it would be any safer than other forms of transportation.
Rather than avoiding ridesharing altogether due to the relative lack of safety information, you might be better suited to use it when you need while also knowing how to handle a ridesharing accident claim, just in case. For example, you can take screen captures of your phone when you are sent driver, vehicle, and license plate information from Uber. In case this information is inexplicably lost after your crash by other sources, you will still have it saved to your phone’s gallery.
Prepare Any Ridesharing Accident Claim with a Lawyer
Another thing to know before getting into a ridesharing service is which local attorney can help you with your claim. If you live in Phoenix, Arizona, look no further than Rafi Law Group. Our legal team is available 24/7 to answer client emergencies, focus entirely on personal injury claims like ridesharing accidents, and offer bilingual services for client convenience.
When you need our legal support after a ridesharing accident in Arizona, call (623) 207-1555 right away.