Skip to Content

Safety Issues of Ride-Sharing Apps Such as Uber and Lyft

News

If you have driven in Manhattan recently, you will notice that practically every car on the road is either a New York City Taxi or a vehicle with the T&LC plates of a car service.  The overwhelming majority of those car service vehicles are “Uber” vehicles.

Uber does not do background checks on their drivers

Unfortunately for Uber clients, the company has a well-earned reputation of paying little attention to hiring competent drivers. They do not do anything resembling an adequate background search of drivers.  The result has been accidents involving Uber vehicles at an almost unbelievable rate. Even more concerning, there have been a large number of vicious assaults perpetrated by Uber drivers against their passengers.  The City of New York does provide some regulation of ride-sharing companies with the Transportation Network Company Act of 2017. Elsewhere in New York State, there are virtually no regulations of these companies.  Not surprisingly, this is a significant safety concern to passengers for a variety of reasons.

Vehicles are not safe

Whenever you get into a stranger’s car, you are taking a risk.  When was the last inspection of the vehicle?  Do you know if your driver has a clean driving record?  Does the driver have a criminal record? Do you know if Uber has done any vetting of their driver or conducted any background searches? These are questions that most people do not consider and even if they did, there are no answers.

You do not know who you are getting into a car with

A CNN investigation in April 2018 showed 103 Uber drivers who have been accused of sexual assault or abuse.  These are cases where the drivers had a prior history, or they had assaulted a passenger who had called for an Uber to pick them up.  In one case in San Diego woman called for an Uber to drive her home.  The woman was intoxicated and had fallen asleep in the back seat of the car.  The woman awoke to the driver on top of her raping her.

Ride-Sharing companies came from the same creative ideas that led to so many advances.  They have identified a problem and offered a solution.  While Uber seems to be an innovative solution, it sidesteps most, if not all of the lessons we have learned through the years of taxi and limousine service mistakes and issues.  There are rules, laws, background checks, and inspections for a reason.  The reasons are generally related to safety.  Laws have been passed at every level of government to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as the safety and well-being of the driver.  Uber has exploited a loop-hole in the system, and they have been able to get away with not following these laws on different technicalities.

Safety is a huge concern

With Uber vehicles making up such a high percentage of the cars on the road in today’s day and age, the safety risks inherent in taking “an Uber” are just too significant to ignore.  Whether it is the long history of serious accidents leaving their passengers disabled or the huge number of assaults perpetrated by Uber drivers upon their passengers, litigation involving Uber and other ride-sharing companies in New York have become incredibly prevalent.

Call the Law Offices of Marc S. Albert for a Free Consultation

These cases require expertise in the field of ride-sharing litigation by the attorney.  Victims of negligence or assault on the part of an Uber driver should be diligent in hiring an attorney with significant experience in litigating these cases.  Marc S. Albert has more than 23 years of experience in litigating claims of serious personal injury and has extensive experience specifically in litigating claims against Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing companies.  If you have been hurt in a crash involving an Uber vehicle or have been involved in an altercation with a driver, call the Law Offices of Marc Albert. Marc has offices in Astoria, Queens, and Syosset, Long Island, and can be reached at 855-252-3788.