Does Uber Promote Distracted Driving?

In the last decade, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether or not the friendly transportation app and ride service, Uber, is promoting distracted driving. Have you ever been in an Uber and noticed how reliant the drivers are on their smartphones? When you make your living behind a wheel, dividing the two operations can present to be challenging.

Do Uber drivers have a choice when it comes to looking at their smartphone?

Uber drivers are on a time constraint when it comes to accepting the fare of a rider. They have 15 seconds to get the location and accept, and this typically takes place while the driver is operating the vehicle. It can be concluded that it is somewhat difficult to be an Uber driver and not be looking at a smartphone at some point while in motion, especially when clients are pinging the driver for rides and the app’s mapping service is necessary for direction. Uber claims that the app was created with safety in mind, in that the driver can accept the new fare by simply tapping anywhere on the screen, in which case looking at the phone is technically not even necessary. The problem is that most drivers would want to view what they are saying “yes” too, that is human nature.

The question is how careful can Uber drivers be and are they taking all the right safety measures to do so? It is Texas law that one may not be texting or operating on their phone while driving a vehicle, and whether or not Uber drivers are abiding by this law is in question. Ride-share apps are allegedly looking into new voice recognition and voice-activated response technologies that may increase the safety of said services, even though they claim the current service operations do not promote distracted driving.

Many drivers work for several driving services, such as Lyft and Uber, etc., in which you may find they have multiple phones attached to their dashboards, this may be a case where the denial of distraction is less accountable. In car accident cases involving distracted drivers, an expert personal injury attorney in Dallas is necessary to prove the accused driver was, in fact, driving while distracted.

While Uber may tempt drivers to look at their phone, perhaps even subliminally encourage, the question is whether or not the service can be blamed for promoting the distraction of looking at one’s phone. In the end, it does lie in the hands of the driver as to whether or not they will risk looking and being on their phone while they are driving.

Distracted driving in Texas

If you are involved in an accident with a distracted driver, you have a right to receive the compensation you deserve. Distracted driving incidents can be complicated, whereas proving that the other driver was distracted can be difficult. Your best option is to contact a car wreck lawyer in Dallas with similar case experience. Here at Rad Law Firm our legal team has seen these cases and has the required experience to fight for your rights as the victim of such an accident. If you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation, contact us today.