In November 2019, Uber released its long-awaited U.S. Safety Report detailing accident numbers between 2017-2018. As Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote on the company's website back in April 2018, “We’ve put safety at the heart of everything we do.” Part of this new commitment to safety involved releasing an entire document breaking down injury numbers that previously remained very obscure.
While many were thrilled at this level of transparency, some were disappointed in what Uber chose to exclude from the report.
Uber’s Fatal Crash Numbers
The report did show the number of fatal accidents involving its drivers. Uber took its internal reports of crashes, generated by drivers, riders, or insurance companies, and compared it to the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a database that tracks all automotive deaths in the U.S.
The report confirmed 97 Uber-related fatal crashes with 107 total deaths in 2017 and 2018 combined.
To break this down even more, in 2017, there were 0.59 Uber-related crashes per 100 million miles traveled. In 2018, there were 0.57 per 100 million miles. The national average is more than 1.1 per 100 million, so reported Uber-related crashes are about half as many fatalities per mile overall.
Unanswered Questions
On the other hand, Uber failed to shed light on other important accident statistics. The report leaves out the number of non-fatal accidents, which are the vast majority of total crashes in which people are injured. Uber said it focused on fatal accidents “because they are easier to classify consistently” and align with the FARS.
In addition, the fatal crash numbers are only relevant to situations where a passenger has already been picked up by their driver. Uber did not include the unknown number of fatalities that may have occurred during the period when drivers were logged into the app awaiting ride requests, such as was the case with 6-year-old Sophia Liu, who was killed in San Francisco by an Uber driver.
Injured in a Rideshare Accident?
Determining liability in these cases can be quite complex, meaning that seeking compensation in these cases can be both difficult and confusing. However, it’s important to remember that you absolutely have options for recovering your losses.
Our Fairfax and D.C. attorneys have years of experience helping individuals obtain the compensation they need after rideshare accidents. We even wrote a book on ridesharing accident claims:
Let us put our experience to work for you. Whether the company, the rideshare driver, or another driver is liable, Shevlin Smith can help you explore your legal options and fight on your behalf so that you can focus on healing.
Contact Shevlin Smith at (703) 721-4233 to schedule your free consultation! You can also fill out our online contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.