Oh, snap! The ridesharing and delivery industry has had enough of smear campaigns. Last week, the Ridesharing Forum team reported Uber Eats being criticized by no other than the The New York Times over alleged harassment and sexual assault issues of its drivers.
This time, a British study says that gig delivery drivers, particularly those working for Amazon or Uber Eats, are more likely to encounter deadly collisions and unsafe driving behaviors due to the intense delivery deadlines.
The intense delivery deadlines cannot be disproved. After all, customers are going for these apps because they want convenience and speed. It’s similar to the classic Pizza Hut marketing tactic saying, “We don’t deliver late, or your pizza is for free.”
Unsafe conditions
The study, which was echoed on Peoplesafe, a United Kingdom-based company that provides technology-led solutions and services for lone worker and at-risk employee safety, is saying that there is increased accident risk, considering the rise of online shopping and delivery requests, prompting roads to welcome more delivery vans, motorbikes, and cyclists.
The research added that motorcyclists are those with the highest risk of death, with gig rides – those working for Uber Eats, Amazon Flex, and Deliveroo – facing even worse risks, compared to those traditionally employed.
Aside from tough deadlines, these drivers are also more likely to encounter accidents, since they use their phones while driving.
Another driving force is work pressure, giving rise to stress, traffic violations, and accidents.
Who is liable?
Problem after problem. Ridesharing media have looked into this matter and evaluated who is liable in these instances. Depending on the case, the responsible party could be:
- The individual driver
- The small subcontracted delivery firm
- The platform or retailer, such as Amazon, but this is difficult to prove
Legal experts told ridesharing media, “Platforms like Amazon Flex and Uber Eats structure their contracts so that riders are classified as independent contractors, not employees. This arrangement allows the platform to argue [that they are] not directly responsible for the driver’s negligence. In practice, if you’re injured in a collision involving a gig worker, the claim may be against the driver’s personal insurance, and in some cases, the small company they contract through. Proving that the platform bears liability requires showing that they exercised significant control over the driver’s work, such as setting unrealistic delivery targets that encourage unsafe driving.”
They also added how from a legal perspective, victims must gather enough evidence as much as possible. They may use dashcam footage, witness statements, app delivery records, and communications from the platform, to establish and prove fault.
“The gig economy’s speed-driven business model can and does create environments where safety takes a back seat to deadlines. Until legislation catches up, holding large platforms accountable will remain an uphill legal battle,” the legal team further stated.
There’s a gap
Despite those insights and concern from the law experts, the study admitted that there are still gaps that must be addressed.
“Despite the growing awareness of the risks faced by gig workers, many employers still fail to implement adequate safety due to the ‘self-employed’ status of these workers. This classification often leaves them outside the scope of health and safety policies that are typically applied to full-time employees,” Peoplesafe indicated.