A group of researchers from the University of Chicago began a study to prove that the invention of ridesharing companies has made the road, and the world a safer place – decreasing car crashes, fatalities, drunk drivers, etc. Unfortunately, those researchers have now said that they proved themselves wrong.
By looking at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and CrashStats both before and after ridesharing companies started popping up all over the United States, they found fatal car crashes increased 2-4% each year. How could this possibly be, and is directly related to ridesharing?
The researchers are attributing it to something called “quantity effect”. Essentially, because more people are travelling via car since the invention of ridesharing, and because more cars are on the road which means more miles being driven, it’s inevitable that the numbers of crashes will increase. Unfortunately, this doesn’t just affect those of us who are using ridesharing companies, but it also affects everyone else from other drivers to pedestrians, cyclists, and even bystanders.
Even if ridesharing results in fewer drunk drivers on the road, the increase in the overall number of vehicles on the road is cancelling out that benefit. Basically, “quantity effect” is cancelling out “quality effect”. While removing drunk drivers from the road, the introduction of easily accessible ridesharing has increased the number of riders who previously may have walked, biked or used public transportation, thus increasing the number of vehicles on the road.
Being involved in a car crash with a rideshare driver can come with its own set of unusual obstacles to obtaining compensation for your injuries. If you’ve been involved in a similar situation, give us a call – we’ll walk you through the process and help you recover what you deserve as quickly as possible.