As I write this, a close friend of mine is recovering from being involved in a collision while riding in an Uber driver’s car. Per her re-telling of the crash, the driver appeared to have a seizure and lost control of the vehicle as it ran off the road.
In my view, it would be unfair to assume now that it is unsafe to use Uber or Lyft, or any other form of ridesharing service. However, it is fair to honestly criticize the lack of regulations and procedures on behalf of the parent companies in situations where a driver and passenger are impacted.
By “impacted,” I mean anything that happens during the ride that was not supposed to happen — collisions, assaults, thefts, deaths, kidnappings, etc.
Per an article by Wired, since drivers for Uber and Lyft legally operate as “independent contractors,” the companies are not required to offer safety training. Both companies have fought legislation to re-classify drivers as employees.
Further, from the same Wired article, “neither Uber nor Lyft publicly release any information about safety incidents.” As a result, the public is left only to listen to anecdotal horror stories of drivers and passengers alike. Not releasing such data inhibits all consumers from making an honest and rational decision on whether or not to use ridesharing services since it is virtually impossible to truly know the levels of risk associated with them.
What I find most concerning is the reality that people who drive for Uber and Lyft are not held to the same standards as professional drivers, like those who drive taxis, limousines and buses.
Unlike those who drive for certified driving companies, Uber and Lyft drivers are not subjected to police-conducted criminal background checks, but rather private name-based background checks. In a report filed by CNN, Uber had to settle a $25 million lawsuit in San Francisco and Los Angeles due to intentionally misleading consumers regarding the quality of the procedure.
Drivers are not subject to independent vehicle safety inspections and are not provided auto-liability insurance to cover all passengers, vehicles and innocent bystanders.
Nancy Soria, vice president of Green Taxis of New York, summed it up nicely in an article done by the New York Post: “These newbies only came for the dreams; they aren’t professional drivers.”
It is an ethical and moral failure of Uber and Lyft not to support and protect their drivers in all situations in which something goes wrong during a ride, no matter how inconsequential it may be. Both companies unfairly shift the burden of risk onto drivers by distancing themselves as much as possible from any potential liabilities. In doing so, Uber and Lyft can, essentially, have their cake and eat it, too — they make money off of rides provided by drivers while simultaneously avoiding any responsibility if something were to go wrong.
Rigorous personal safety and driving training should be administered, but doing so would implicate Uber and Lyft as being employers rather than contractors.
In my view, companies that facilitate ridesharing services should be required to take a more active role in providing drivers and passengers with whatever resources necessary to better ensure the safety and wellbeing of all — even if doing so forces the companies to become more legally responsible for their business than they would like to be.
Greed at the expense of working to prevent harm is beyond disgraceful and should be universally condemned.
