Uber has released a safety report that details their fatal car accidents in the United States. While the good news is that the overall rate of deadly car accidents in Uber vehicles is about half of the national average, there are many questions about what is not included in the report. Keep reading to learn more and then contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you have been injured in an Uber accident and require a free legal consultation.
How Uber Created the Report
In order to come up with the report, Uber looked at its internal data on crashes, which is generated by users, drivers, or insurance companies. They then compared that to statistics from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) which looks at all auto deaths. Uber found that they had 97 fatal crashes with a total of 107 deaths over 2017 and 2018.
When you consider that more than 36,000 people die in car accidents every year in the United States, it is easy to see that these numbers are not that useful. This is why Uber put the numbers into context by looking at it in terms of miles traveled.
They found that in 2017 they had 49 fatal accidents over 8.2 billion miles – which comes out to 0.59 per 100 million miles traveled. In 2018 they had 58 with over 1.3 billion miles, which is about 0.57 per 100 million miles. They then pointed out that the national average is 1.1 for every 100 million – and that, they claimed, meant they had half the deadly crashes the typical driver does.
The Uber Reports Do Not Include Non-Fatal Accidents
One of the concerns about the information Uber has released is that it does not mention non-fatal accidents at all. It is true that they are harder to track and categorize them, but that does not mean they should be left out altogether.
Uber Has a Strange Definition of What Makes Up an “Uber-Related” Accident
Interestingly, when Uber counts its accidents, it only counts those that take place when the driver has already picked up a rider or is directly on their way to pick up a rider. The truth is that many drivers spend as much time driving around waiting to be called as they do with people in their vehicles. As a result, stats that only include times in which a rider is actually in their vehicle are far from comprehensive.
Have You Been Injured in an Uber Accident?
If you have been seriously injured in an Uber accident, or have lost a loved one in one, then it is time to contact a personal injury attorney who may be able to help you. Call on Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 now for a free legal consultation.
