Rideshare companies have revolutionized how people use private transportation. According to carsurance.net, 4.98 billion trips occurred in 2020 with one major rideshare company alone. This company claims that 99.9 percent of their trips had no safety incident. That might seem like a minimal number of accidents. However, when you handle billions of rides yearly, even a .1 percent rate means millions of accidents occur.
The truth is that rideshare companies are convenient, but the drivers are not always the most reliable. Please continue reading to learn about three ways rideshare companies and their drivers put you at risk.
1. Using their phone while driving
New Jersey has strict texting while driving laws, but many rideshare drivers completely disregard these restrictions. Although they should put the safety of their passengers first, unfortunately, they have an incentive to line up another customer while you are still in the car. This means looking at their phone and planning their next route, which puts you in danger.
2. Speeding to maximize profit
Again, these drivers want to make money. To complete as many trips as possible, drivers will likely ignore the speed limit. You might appreciate getting to your destination faster, but that does not matter if your driver causes a major accident.
3. Incentivized fatigued driving
Rideshare companies use specific strategies, such as income targeting, to encourage drivers to drive longer hours. The app will notify them if they come close to earning a certain lifetime amount. This leads to many fatigued drivers pushing to achieve that new income goal and endangering your safety.
Many people benefit from the accessibility of rideshare services. However, be wary of fatigued, reckless and inattentive drivers. Do not sacrifice your safety for convenience.