Statistics show that rideshare drivers are more likely to get into accidents than other drivers, but they also drive a lot more than most drivers, increasing their risk. Given the choice between driving home while intoxicated or using a rideshare, you’re probably much better off getting the ride.
Uber reports that as of 2022, its app arranged for 23 million daily drives. Lyft claimed to have 20.4 million active users. Although there aren’t as many rideshare drivers in Kentucky as there are in larger states, MarketWatch claims there are incentives for people to take the job. According to their 2023 survey, Kentucky is ranked the second most profitable state for them after Minnesota.
Kentucky has a lower cost of living than other states, which allows rideshare drivers to keep more of their earnings than other drivers. The survey found large earning differences between drivers, probably because of the earnings gap in Kentucky’s rural areas and bigger cities.
Study Finds Rideshare Drivers More Likely Than Others to be Involved in Accidents
A study published in the Journal of Safety Research earlier this year showed that rideshare drivers have a higher risk of accidents than other drivers. Researchers used the responses to 277 online questionnaires to develop their results and found that of 276 respondents, a third (91) reported being involved in a work-related crash. Contributing factors include the following:
- Older drivers
- Ten or more trips daily
- Driving on unfamiliar roads
- Driving while tired
Researchers found that several factors can lead to a greater risk of an accident, including distractions caused by the following:
- Smartphone use is central to obtaining rides, getting passengers to their destinations, managing fares, and communicating with company staff. Some drivers work with Uber and Lyft simultaneously, so they may use two phones at the same time
- Passenger behavior
- Financial pressures
- Risks of infections from passengers
- Fatigue
- Physical discomfort due to diving for long hours
The authors state that more research is needed to obtain better information to develop actions to make these rides safer for drivers and passengers.
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Rideshare Drivers Are Accident Victims Too
Although rideshare drivers cause accidents, they can also be victims of them. Drivers can be on the road for hours, so they are more exposed to the dangerous driving habits of others compared to the rest of us, whose time behind the wheel is more limited.
Three people were killed and three others hospitalized last year after a car an Uber vehicle full of passengers head-on in South Los Angeles in August of last year. A speeding Mercedes sedan entered the intersection and struck a Honda operating as an Uber rideshare. In addition to the driver, there were four passengers, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The collision forced the Honda into a spin, ejecting one of the passengers, who died at the scene. Two other passengers in the vehicle were also declared dead at the scene. The Mercedes driver, the Uber driver, and the fourth Honda passenger were taken to a hospital from the scene.
Witnesses estimated the Mercedes was traveling between 80 and 85 miles per hour, and the driver appeared to try to beat the red light at the intersection. The Honda was stopped at the intersection in the opposite lane.
Two passengers were killed, and the rideshare driver was seriously injured after their Lexus was rear-ended by a tow truck in Boston in 2022, reports WCVB. The crash happened on Interstate 93 on the Zakim Bridge.
A Kenworth tow truck hit the rideshare vehicle from behind after the Lexus slowed down for unknown reasons. Two women in the back of the Lexus crash were trapped inside and pronounced dead at the scene.
What’s the Next Step?
Whether you were injured as a passenger or a driver in a rideshare vehicle, if you want the help of an experienced attorney, call The Fleck Firm for a free consultation at (270) 446-7000 or fill out our online contact form. When you contact us, we’ll discuss your accident, injuries, the law, and your best options. This will allow you to be fully informed about your situation and all the obstacles that may be in your way. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one, too.
