What’s Safer: An Uber or a Cab?

Statistically, taxicabs are much safer than Uber or Lyft. California taxi driver licensing requirements are very strict. In contrast, Uber and Lyft driver standards are very low. Furthermore, many taxi drivers have considerable experience navigating the streets of San Diego and dealing with passengers. However, most Uber and Lyft operators have been rideshare drivers for less than a year.

So, as outlined below, the injury risk in an Uber or Lyft is significantly higher than the injury risk in a taxi. When rideshare passengers sustain injuries, a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer obtains the compensation these victims need to put their lives back together. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Usually, the ridesharing company is financially responsible for these damages.

Collision Injuries

Most ridesharing operators have little experience ferrying passengers to unknown destinations, as mentioned above. Therefore, many ridesharing drivers over-relay on GPS navigation devices. In fact, most companies require their drivers to use these devices while they’re behind the wheel.

Although hand-held devices are illegal in California, many drivers use them anyway. Hand-held electronic devices combine all three forms of driver distraction, which are:

• Visual (eyes off the road),
• Manual (hand off the wheel), and
• Cognitive (mind off driving).

Hands-free GPS navigation devices aren’t much safer. These gadgets are visually and cognitively distracting. Furthermore, hands-free devices often give drivers a false sense of security. So, they take unnecessary chances behind the wheel.

When distracted drivers cause crashes, their passengers are at risk for the same kinds of injuries, such as head injuries and internal injuries. However, certain legal doctrines may apply, such as assumption of the risk. Therefore, only the most experienced Carlsbad personal injury lawyer should handle such matters.

Injured occupants in the other vehicle(s) involved in a distracted driver-related crash are likewise eligible for compensation. Multiple legal options are usually available in these cases, mostly because the law holds commercial drivers, like Uber drivers, to a higher safety standard.

Premises Liability Injuries

Injuries like falls and assaults are usually associated with restaurants and bars. But the same legal principles apply to rideshare vehicles. These principles include an operator’s duty of care to provide a safe and secure environment for all vehicle occupants.

Falls are the most common unsafe environment injuries. These injuries could occur at passenger pick-up or drop-off. Generally, ridesharing drivers pick up ridesharing passengers in unsafe locations, like the middle of a street or a dark corner. People with mobility impairments are especially vulnerable to falls in these situations.

Inclement weather, like rain, may contribute to a fall. But driver negligence, specifically the driver’s failure to properly assist the passenger, substantially causes most falls.

The driver or a third party could perpetrate an assault. By its own admission, Uber has a serious problem with driver sexual assaults. These victims are entitled to compensation for their injuries. Also as mentioned above, many ridesharing operators drop off passengers on dark corners and other unsafe locations, where they’re vulnerable to assaults.

The ridesharing company is usually financially responsible for damages in these cases, if the assault happened shortly after drop-off and the injury was foreseeable.

Rely on a Conscientious 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. Home and hospital visits are available.

Source:

lacitycab.com/training/tax-cab-driver-requirements/