Ride sharing has become popular among people who live in heavily populated regions and metropolitan areas. Two of the most common carpooling companies are Uber and Lyft. In theory, the idea behind being able to call someone to come and pick you up is seemingly useful; especially in situations where excessive drinking may have been involved. Unfortunately, a new study has shown that even with the development of these third party ride-sharing companies, the impact on fatal drunk driving has been little to none.
RESEARCH ON THE EFFECT OF RIDE SHARING SERVICES ON THE NUMBER OF DRUNK DRIVING FATALITIES
Researchers at Oxford and the University of Southern California took a look into the more heavily populated regions of the nation and found that access to Uber apps and services had little effect on traffic fatalities. They specifically looked into those accidents that were caused by intoxicated drivers.
On the contrary, Uber has consistently pointed out that a reduction in drunk drivers is a benefit to the service they offer. As a matter of fact, Uber conducted a survey for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and it displayed that those individuals believed that the availability of Uber made their friends safer.
MORE STUDIES NEEDED TO FACTOR IN VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF DRIVING HABITS
Other studies regarding the Uber service have declared that there has been a significant decrease in the amount of accidents involving young drivers. So the question would be, where does the discrepancy lie?
Additional researching universities noted that those that found Uber’s service to be having a positive effect did not take into account other factors in the area that could have contributed to the trend. For instance, legislation changes or even laws that ban things like texting and driving could play a factor in the reduction in fatalities. Data scientists and authors from Temple University stated:
“Further work is necessary to ensure that there are not confounding factors which also influence the findings.”
The most recent study, published by the American Journal for Epidemiology, compounded analytics from 100 metropolitan areas with controls for state laws. They found that the average individual under the influence of alcohol may not make the most rational choice. Therefore, they may not take the opportunity to contact Uber as opposed to driving home themselves. Another noticeable issue was their lack of desire to pay for the ride; which was consistent whether they were in need of an Uber or a taxi. This remains a quizzical factor, as monetary value seemingly outweighs the risk of jail time.
In contradiction to this Uber released a statement in the Washington Post claiming that 80 percent of their customers feel their service has prevented drinking and driving. Given this statement, the authors of the study suggest there’s still a considerable amount of room for improvement.
If you, or someone you know, was injured in an accident due to drinking and driving in Miami, you might be eligible for compensation. Please feel free to contact us and receive a free consultation.
Resource:
Uber Hasn’t Had An Effect On Drunken-Driving Deaths, Study Finds. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2016, from http://npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/29/487906925/uber-hasnt-had-an-effect-on-drunken-driving-deaths-study-finds
