What Causes Uber Crashes?
Rideshare drivers have tough jobs. They must safely operate motor vehicles, often in unfamiliar parts of town, while dealing with sometimes grumpy, incorrigible, or just plain weird passengers. Yet the company does almost nothing to prepare drivers for all these responsibilities. In fact, Uber contributes to Uber crashes, mostly because of the driver compensation model. More on that below.
The lack of support is just one reason that a Carlsbad Uber accident lawyer can obtain substantial compensation in these cases. Usually, Uber, or the other ridesharing company, is financially responsible for damages in these cases. Uber cannot blame drivers for crashes, wash their hands of the matter, and avoid paying damages. These damages usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Impaired Driving
Driver impairment causes about half of the Uber crashes in California. Fatigue and distraction are the two most common kinds of Uber driver impairments.
Many Uber and other ridesharing drivers have full-time responsibilities elsewhere. Ridesharing is a side gig. Therefore, when they get behind the wheel, they’re dangerously fatigued. Driving while fatigued is just as bad as driving while drunk, especially for commercial drivers, like Uber drivers.
Commercial drivers have a higher duty of care in California than noncommercial drivers. Noncommercial drivers must avoid accidents if possible. Commercial drivers must anticipate and avoid collisions. People with fatigued minds cannot think that quickly or proactively.
There’s a direct connection between drunk driving and fatigued driving. Driving after eighteen consecutive hours, which is like a full day of caregiving followed by a few hours of Uber driving, is like driving with a .05 BAC level. That’s above the legal limit for commercial operators in California.
Furthermore, Uber requires its drivers to use a company navigation and scheduling app behind the wheel. The company requires hands-free operation, but it doesn’t enforce this requirement. Driving while using a hand-held device combines all three forms of distracted driving:
- Visual (eyes off the road),
- Cognitive (mind off driving), and
- Manual (one hand off the wheel).
Hands-free devices aren’t any safer. In fact, they may be more dangerous. Hands-free devices are visually and cognitively distracting. They’re potentially manually distracting as well, since they encourage users to tap and swipe.
Furthermore, hands-free mounts give drivers a false sense of security. Therefore, they often subconsciously take dangerous chances as they drive.
Aggressive Driving
Full-time Uber drivers often drive aggressively, once again because the company encourages this behavior, at least indirectly.
Uber pays drivers by the trip, not by the hour. So, the more trips drivers complete, the more money they make. The model encourages aggressive driving, like:
- Speeding,
- Turning unsafely,
- Tailgating, and
- Running red lights.
For a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer, aggressive driving crashes might involve the negligence per se rule or the ordinary negligence doctrine.
Speeding is a good example. The posted speed limit is a presumptively reasonable speed under ideal conditions. If it’s raining, dark, or conditions are otherwise less than ideal, a driver could be operating below the posted limit and still be negligent.
Contact a Savvy San Diego County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Carlsbad, contact the Pursley Law Firm. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.
Source:
uber.com/do/en/drive/requirements/
