Ride-booking continues to grow in popularity in New Jersey and other parts of the nation. Yet, because ride-hailing services are still relatively new, confusion exists about who is responsible when their vehicles crash while in service. A new safety report released by one of the nation’s leading ride-booking services outlines how often its vehicles get into fatal crashes. The report also highlights certain dangerous driving behaviors that contribute to these crashes.
Per Uber, fatal crashes involving its vehicles increased by 7% between 2017 and 2018 and 2019 and 2020. Nationally, traffic deaths increased by 6% during this same span. Half of all traffic deaths linked to the ride-booking service also resulted from crashes involving at least one dangerous driving behavior.
Ride-booking crash statistics
Between 2019 and 2020, there were 101 traffic fatalities that took place in the major ride-hailing service’s vehicles while they were in service. Many of these crashes involved similar factors, such as speed.
Ride-booking crash contributors
Speed played a role in almost a third of all fatalities involving customers of the major ride-booking service. Often, the speeding party was someone other than the motorist controlling the ride-booking service vehicle. Yet, the ride-booking service driver was the responsible party in about 9% of all fatal crashes involving speed. Almost a quarter of all traffic deaths involving passengers using the ride-hailing service also involved drivers under the influence of alcohol.
Passengers hurt in crashes while using ride-booking services may have recourse. In some cases, the ride-hailing service may cover the expenses relating to the wreck. Other times, a passenger may need to pursue a claim against the party whose actions caused the crash.