Does it? If it does, maybe it’s time that you select other apps like Uber? Here’s the scoop.
The curious case of the motorcyclist who was killed over the previous year after an Uber driver did an illegal U-turn is prompting authorities to take a look at what happens inside the Uber app – that it is causing Uber drivers to be “chronically distracted” and “motivate them to violate traffic laws.”
How true? This association could be highly unlikely, since it requires so much time and effort to really connect the dots between the Uber app’s functionality and how drivers’ thinking is affected. Even mediamen may find it hard to connect the two sides.
However, the fact that car crashes against motorcycles are rampant anywhere in the world is real. According to the National Safety Council, there are thousands of motorcycle fatalities because of these incidents.
The date was August 3rd, 2024, so over a year now, around afternoon time, when an Uber driver was driving his Uber car east on Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inside were his two passengers traveling to a sporting event.
Meanwhile, the motorcycle was also heading east, a lane to the left of the Uber car.
Lo and behold, the Uber driver made an illegal U-turn to head west and directly to the motorcycle’s path, court documents showed. As a result, the car and the motorcycle collided.
Well, if there are no expert insights on the uncanny connection between the official Uber app and Uber drivers’ behaviors on the road, at least a lawsuit can prove the connection.
The lawsuit that the Uber driver is facing is also saying that Uber is requiring drivers to stay hands-on with the app so they can “control all aspects of their duties,” including notifications of ride requests and accepting those requests.
It also stated and assumed that if the Uber driver doesn’t follow the route the app has suggested, the driver won’t receive additional money for the extra time spent driving, should they decide to take another route.
In other words, following the route suggestions of the app by the latter means more income, even if the app doesn’t detect other vehicles around.
The app “incentivizes Uber drivers,” the lawsuit stated, “to violate traffic laws in order to minimize the duration of trips and to fit more trips into a given work period.”
Uber and the proponent of the lawsuit have no statements to share.
The Uber platform is making it easier for you to travel from one place to another. Upon launching the app, simply log in or sign up for your account. Then, key in the destination in the “Where to?” section. It calculates the distance and the time as you select the type of vehicle you wish to ride. Then, tap the button that says request, and confirm your pick-up location. Wait for the Uber driver to fetch you. It works like your preferred ridesharing app, too.