Ride-Sharing is an ever popular and growing industry that is changing the way people think about transportation. Instead of driving your own vehicle, bumming a ride from a friend or relative, or calling a cab, two innovative companies have transformed the transportation landscape.
Uber and Lyft offer transit service in one of the most convenient ways possible. Users are able to summon a driver by simply using an app on their smartphone. Yes, simply by “swiping” with your fingertip, you, too could order a ride to well, anywhere… for a fee that is charged through the app.
The idea, first introduced in the United Sates in 2009 by Uber, now provides in excess of 15 million rides per day worldwide. Lyft also boasts impressive statistics with at least 1 million rides per day in the United States and Canada.
Due to the regular use of the service, car accidents involving Lyft and Uber services occur frequently. The company also inadvertently rewards its drivers for engaging in unsafe driving behaviors. Drivers regularly check their smartphones while driving one customer to see where he or she should pick up the next customer.
Drivers are also not required by the Transportation Network Provider (companies like Uber and Lyft) to take “sleep breaks”, so drivers are often driving under conditions of fatigue.
Interestingly enough Uber and Lyft don’t really like being called “Transportation Network Providers.” Spokespersons for those companies allege that they are not in the transportation industry at all but prefer to be branded as tech companies that merely provide the service of connecting people providing the service of driving with customers willing to pay for that service.
Making this argument is an attempt to avoid being held liable for injuries or fatalities related to the use of the Uber or Lyft service. Using this argument is also an attempt to avoid being held to the same standards that companies providing limos, cabs, and buses must adhere to. All while making historic profits. As of the time of this posting, Uber is valued at 48 billion dollars and Lyft is valued at 15.1 billion dollars.
There is hope. Just last year, Uber announced that it would be placing active drive-time regulations on their drivers. Drivers are unable to be logged on to the app for more than 12 hours of active driving time (time spent parked and waiting for a customer does not count.) If they are logged on for 12 hours, they are unable to use the app for 6 hours.
Some city and state governments have also begun to regulate drive times and have stricter time limits in an attempt to prevent drowsy driving accidents.
Uber and Lyft also perform background checks and require drivers to submit a clean driving record. Uber and Lyft also require their drivers to carry at least their state’s minimum requirement for liability coverage and also provides a small supplemental policy. Depending on whether the app is being used and how the app is being used at the time of the accident can determine whether the supplemental coverage will apply. If the customer ordered the UberBlack or UberX service commercial coverage carried by the driver may also apply.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident in Roanoke, VA call The Thomson Law Firm today for a FREE consultation. (540) 777-4900.
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The Thomson Law Firm
2721 Brambleton Ave SW
Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 777-4900
