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Illinois State Police Working Alongside Truckers to Curb Distracted Driving

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As of June 19, 2019, Illinois State Police Officers have begun taking an unconventional approach to monitoring highway safety in Chicago. Throughout this summer, don’t be surprised if you happen to see state troopers seated alongside truckers on the road. “Trooper in a Truck” is what the Illinois state police are calling the new program, which they partnered with the Illinois Trucking Association and Cadence Premier Logistics to make a possibility. Due to significant increases in the number of fatalities resulting from distracted driving all across the United States, the “Trooper in a Truck” program makes sense.

As WJOL recently reported, “the new program is helping officers spot and correct unsafe driving behaviors of passing motorists by riding in the cabs of commercial motor vehicles and watching primarily for distracted driving offenses. Troopers are able to observe the violation taking place and notify other police units ahead to take enforcement action.” Based on the initial results, the plan just might work. On a single day of working the program, on June 19th, police were able to issue more than 20 tickets for a variety of violations including distracted driving and improper lane changes.

While the new program may be unique to Chicago, it’s important to mention that troopers have been doing this program throughout the state for roughly a year now, and for good cause. Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 3,450 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2016, which comes to roughly 9 people in the United States being killed each day by a distracted driver. Additionally, the CDC goes to great lengths to provide necessary information that any driver should know when it comes to distracted driving such as the types of distracted driving an individual may be practicing on the road. Such types of distractions include visual, such as taking your eyes off the road; manual, meaning taking your hands off the wheel; and cognitive, taking your mind off of driving. After seeing these three categories, it is easy to imagine just how dangerous our favorite electronic devices are when driving on the road. For example, using a cell phone while driving combines all three categories essentially rendering yourself blind while driving.

Maintaining Road Safety

Outside of Illinois with its Trooper in a Truck program, many other states have adopted stricter distracted driving laws than what Illinois currently imposes. For example, Illinois currently prohibits the use of hand-held cellphones, texting, or using other electronic devices while driving. Further, if a driver is involved in a crash resulting from a distracted driver, they may end up facing criminal penalties and incarceration. However, violators of the law will only be charged a $75 fine for their first offense, which if caught again will increase by $25 and eventually be capped at $150. On the other hand, states with similar driving laws have actually imposed far stricter penalties if caught with a cell phone. For example, in 2017, Oregon unveiled a new distracted driving law that fines individuals $1,000 for a first offense, with a maximum fine of $2,000. While it is clear that each state handles driver safety differently, you would be hard pressed to find someone willing to risk paying $1000 for using their cell phone while driving. All of this goes to say that distracted driving is an issue. State’s are adopting these new rules for good reasons and we need to make certain that we do our best to follow them.

Tips for Drivers

With Trooper in a Truck now making its way to Chicago, it is safe to say we can all expect our actions on the road to be watched much more closely. This isn’t a bad thing though. Chicagoans should be practicing safe driving no matter what. However, this is a great time to finally get yourself to put the phone away for good and practice additional safe driving tips. The Associated Press reported in April of 2019 that Floow, “a telematics-based provider of smarter and safer mobility solutions has studied billions of journey miles to identify a number of key behaviors that have a significant impact on driver safety.” As a result of their tests, Floow put together a list of driver safety tips and best practices that if done properly, will certainly result in safer roads. See below for their list:

  1. Put your cell phone out of arm’s reach. If you can’t grab it while you’re driving, you’ll get in the habit of waiting to answer your phone when it’s safe.
  2. If you must talk, do it hands-free. Some cities and states have banned texting while driving altogether. Either way, a hands-free Bluetooth device is the safer way to go.
  3. Secure your mobile device. Put your cell phone in the glove compartment or some other place where it’s securely stowed. The Floow’s crash testing shows that a free-flying mobile device can cause further damage or injury during a collision.
  4. Pick a safe time to travel. Studies indicate that you are statistically more likely to have an accident between 11pm and 7am than at any other time of day. Planning ahead and choosing a responsible travel time will minimize risk.
  5. Take regular breaks during long journeys. The longer you drive, the harder it is to stay alert. During a longer trip, take a quick refresher break every two hours.
  6. Consider the speed limit as a guide, not a target. All driving conditions aren’t equal. When the weather is bad, or the driving conditions are less-than-desirable, slow down to allow for a greater breaking distance.
  7. Drive smoothly. Aggressive acceleration and deceleration are both potentially dangerous. The smoother you drive, the greater your reaction times will be.

Nashville Bans Electric Scooters After Man is Killed

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Nashville wants scooters out until there is more oversight

Nashville mayor, David Briley, took to Twitter last Friday to announce he was submitting a recommendation to the City’s Metro Council to enact legislation that would immediately terminate its shared urban mobility device (SUMD) pilot program, effectively removing all ride-share electric scooters from the streets until further review and oversight of numbers, safety, and accessibility is completed.

As reported by the Tennessean, the crash that caused the injuries that led to the death of a 26 year old man in Nashville occurred on May 16, 2019. Three days later he was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to police, a witness reported seeing the man make an improper left turn after leaving the sidewalk and entering the roadway into the path of an SUV. A toxicology report stated that the man’s blood alcohol content was at 0.198% on the night the crash happened.

Electric Scooters aren’t generally allowed on sidewalks

These electric scooters are meant to be used within bicycle lanes and there was such a lane present in the area where the crash occurred. Riders are not permitted to operate the scooters on sidewalks in Nashville’s business district where this incident happened, according to local police. After the man’s death, his family posted a petition online calling for a ban on SUMD scooters in Nashville.

Regardless of how the crash occurred, drivers have a duty to keep a proper lookout for pedestrians, bicycles, and scooters. And, all people traveling on roads should use reasonable caution to avoid collisions. Electric scooters add an extra element to traffic that make the roads that much more congested. There were 8 companies participating in Nashville’s scooter-share pilot program. Chicago has 10 vendors supplying a combined total of 2,500 e-scooters. However, Chicago isn’t letting them go downtown yet, maybe not ever.

Is downtown the best place for e-scooters?

High traffic areas, like business districts and downtowns, may require more planning on the part of municipalities to make sure that these programs are introduced with safety in mind. Getting somewhere faster, cheaper, and easier sounds great, but that doesn’t matter if riders are more likely to get injured. 

The question is, are scooters meant to be a replacement for other forms of urban transportation, or are they meant to be a go-between to allow people to travel from more residential areas to other forms of transit more quickly and cheaply? The go-between model seems to make more sense and that’s the approach Chicago is taking. Mary Wisniewski included a map in her Tribune article  on the arrival of e-scooters in Chicago showing where the City will allow these devices to operate this summer. The neighborhoods, as opposed to the loop, may be a better fit for Chicago, which already has a lot of ride share vehicles taking people from place to place in addition to the busses and trains that already service passengers. People who need to get from their home to an L-stop may find a scooter more convenient than walking, hailing a cab, or ride-share. Yet, in these less congested areas, both scooter riders and automobile drivers need to keep a proper lookout for each other to avoid collisions as they share the road.

The bottom line is, no matter if you’re walking, biking, riding, or driving, it’s important to pay attention to other people on the roadway. That means keeping off cell phones and getting a ride from someone else if you’re tired or had too much to drink. And, with decriminalized marijuana coming to Illinois, fellow travelers need to add cannabis to the list of things not to combine with operating a vehicle. Safety should be foremost in everyone’s mind wherever they go.

Should I Use My Mobile Phone Less?

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When is the last time that you left your house without taking your mobile phone? Can you remember the last walk you took without checking your social media feed? You have a device that allows you to work, watch shows, conduct financial transactions, keep in touch with out-of-town family, shop, and broadcast your thoughts instantaneously from nearly anywhere, and it fits in your pocket. Mobile phones have obviously revolutionized the world. You just don’t have to physically go to as many places anymore to get things done. I can’t remember the last time I actually had to go to the bank to complete a check deposit. I can do that from my kitchen. 

Residents of developing countries have also seen benefits from mobile phones becoming ubiquitous. Even basic phones that only have call and text features and no internet access can operate as mobile money transfer devices. This means you don’t have to carry cash or even a credit card to conduct business anymore, leading to more economic development around the world. 

There are clearly a lot of positives to having access to mobile phones. Yet, I’m old enough to remember a time when I had to leave the house to find my friends. In fact, whole generations of people lived their lives without smartphone apps or social media and the world kept on spinning. But, as we all know, for every yin there’s a yang. 

The problem with phones is that nowadays, they can do so many things that as long as the battery holds a charge, a person could easily spend their entire day looking at a screen without realizing just how many hours have passed with them doing so. Cell phone addiction is now a real thing. Smart phones have been around for a little over a decade and researchers have been studying the impact they have been having on us for about as many years. One study published back in January of 2015 posed that some people feel so connected to their phones that when they find themselves in a situation when they can’t look at their screens, like a work meeting, they get anxiety due to phone separation. This leads to people spending too much time looking at their phones, which creates a vast assortment of unexpected consequences. 

Time is a resource that is definitely not renewable. One of the consequences of evolutionary biology is that people need time to rest. We’ve all felt tired and we know how it feels when we don’t get enough sleep. Apart from a lack of sleep, too much time on your smartphone can lead to additional adverse health effects. But you don’t need a study to figure out that reading your news feed at night instead of going to sleep can reduce your concentration and your ability to function properly the next day. 

For most of Americans, one task we can’t avoid in the morning is driving somewhere. Whether it’s to work, school or otherwise, over 80% of Adults in the United States would say they get behind the wheel frequently, and a lot fewer than that say they enjoy it. Hopefully it isn’t because they’re too tired to drive. 

When you’re tired – you’re groggy and irritable. Add the stress of rush hour traffic to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. A study that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation on people working in the transportation industry found that not sleeping enough produces motor skill performance equivalent to what happens when a person consumes enough alcohol to exceed legal intoxicated driving limits.

Fatigued driving can be as bad as drunk driving. Yet, how often have you heard about someone being pulled over for driving while tired? This is a problem that requires attention from all aspects of society – government and private. Putting our phones away at night is a good first step, but that is easier said than done. With smartphones being so addictive, it’s tough to figure out how to motivate ourselves to use them less.

I’ve come up with a few tricks that have worked for me. Of course, everybody’s different and tactics that help one person find success may not be as effective for someone else.  Therefore, you may go through some trial and error before you find what’s best for you. Nevertheless, here’s what I’ve done:

  1. Put the phone away earlier – Supposing I want to wake up at 6 a.m. the next day. In order to get a full 8 hours of sleep, I probably have to go to bed by around 9:30. Before I allow myself to succumb to the temptation of scrolling through posts that can easily take me down a rabbit hole that will make an hour disappear before I know it, I put the phone away much sooner. In fact, I put the phone in another room altogether at least an hour before I plan to go to bed. That way my mind is already easing into the mode of not reaching in my pocket every few minutes to check the sports scores. 
  2. Track your screen time – If you can think of it, there’s an app for that. Get yourself a screen time tracker. This feature is already built into the iPhone and there’s probably something similar on other devices. Knowing how much time you actually spend looking at your phone can help you figure out ways to bring that number down. Also, you can set limits. You can set these applications to warn you when you’ve spent more time on social media than you would like. Monitor yourself at first to see what your actual habits are, and then modify your activity based on that. 
  3. Take walks – Or, find a way to get more active if you can. I know that exercise helps me get to sleep quicker. When I’ve had a long day at work, exercise is often the last thing I want to do. But I know that once I get started, I will feel better. Once my workout is over, my mind is calmer, and I know it will be easier for me to turn off my thoughts and drift off to sleep. If I just can’t motivate myself to do a full gym routine, I can take a walk if the weather is nice. Combining fresh air with increased blood circulation from walking usually makes me feel better and, if it’s close enough to bedtime, I’m ready to fall asleep as soon as I get back from my evening constitutional. 
  4. Turn the notifications off – You may have heard social media or smartphones referred to as slot machines. This means the way phone applications are structured is similar to a slot machine in that it is designed to make you want to stay with it for a long time and keep coming back for more. The notifications on your social media apps trigger a dopamine response so you feel good when your phone tells you someone liked or commented on your posts. You can limit the urge to keep checking your post for new reactions by turning off push notifications and checking to see what happened on Facebook while you were away rather than letting it tell you every single time somebody presses like on a picture of that great sandwich you made.
  5. Read a book – I mean an actual book and not an e-book or an audio book. Reading before bed is extremely calming for me. I know if I grab a novel and read for a few minutes when I lie down at night, I will be ready to doze off before I know it. Now, it’s true that some books are page turners that make you want to keep reading, but if I make a habit of opening a book before bedtime on a regular basis, my body will start getting used to falling asleep at the same time. That’s when I get my optimum rest. 

I hope that some or all of these tactics are helpful. Of course, you may find that you need to do your own thing to get results. There is no going back, smartphones or some version of them are here to stay and when used responsibly they are an excellent tool for promoting a business, finding work, or just keeping in touch with friends and family. But, like anything, overuse can be a problem. Therefore, many of us may want to cut down so that we can get some more rest and take care to drive safe. 

The Importance of Vehicle Maintenance

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Hands of car mechanic working in auto repair service.

In a recent article written by the Associated Press and posted on the Chicago Tribune website, it was announced last week that Ford Motor Company is recalling over 1.3 million vehicles, mainly in North America, due to rear suspension and transmission control software problems. One of the auto maker’s largest recalls, it will cover over 1.2 million Explorer SUVs ranging from model years 2011 through 2017. This recall raises concerns about the safety of drivers and passengers, as one of the main points of focus is how, “a fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.” Many of the recalled vehicles are select Explorers manufactured at Ford’s Chicago assembly plant between May 17, 2010 and January 25, 2017.

As mentioned in a previous post, a recent report from Consumer Reports highlighted the ongoing safety concerns that could come to light because of the lack of a clear policy from ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft regarding drivers who do not address any open safety recalls related to their vehicles.

In general, vehicle maintenance, including monitoring any recall issues, is an incredibly important part of safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians anytime a vehicle is on the road. The dangers of driving a vehicle that is not properly maintained can lead to some horrific consequences. In a tragic case our firm handled, our client was involved in a terrible accident that resulted in him losing his life. The crash was caused by a lack of proper maintenance of the defendant’s vehicle. Despite having had his car looked at and supposedly fixed at an auto shop, one of the wheels fell off from the defendant’s car in the middle of the road while he was driving on the road, causing him to strike our client’s vehicle.

With the general risks that can always be found on the road, an added potential safety threat such as a lack of vehicle maintenance is a significant concern. The problems that can arise from those who get into their vehicles without making sure that their cars are safe for the road can result in severe consequences. The safety of drivers and those on the road around them should always be one of the main concerns anytime a person gets behind the wheel. As a driver, it is that person’s responsibility to make sure that their vehicles are in top condition. A driver should always make sure that every preventive measure has been taken to ensure that you and those around you are as safe as possible.

In a situation where you are involved in an accident with a driver whose vehicle is not properly maintained, for example, if a wheel pops off from their car, there are several things to be aware of and to make note of.

  1. The driver of the malfunctioned vehicle should have known that the vehicle was not in proper condition for the road.
  2. If, as in the case mentioned above, the driver had the vehicle fixed up at an auto body shop, the auto body shop should have fixed the vehicle correctly and made sure it would not potentially be a danger on the road.
  3. It is important to always preserve the evidence. In certain cases, there might be need for an expert to go through the evidence and determine exactly what happened.
  4. Hiring an experienced attorney earlier on in your case will often be helpful as the attorney can determine any and all responsible parties, which can include both the driver and any auto shop or other entity responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle. This also allows the attorney to investigate the case sooner, including any evidence that should have been preserved.

Vehicle maintenance will continue to become more important as technology allows cars to become more advanced. With all of the technological advances enabling car manufacturers to offer drivers some incredible features, such as Tesla’s autopilot program, there also come new concerns about malfunctions. The fairly new driver-assist technology has given drivers significant comfort and benefits, but it has also opened the door to the possibility of new dangers on the road that once were not there. A majority of vehicles that offer features such as autopilot or other driverless programs depend solely on a system that is installed within the vehicle. Although these systems generally allow the vehicles to operate smoothly, there are always circumstances where the system might have some sort of issue which could then lead to hazardous driving conditions for the driver and others, creating a higher risk of car crashes. It is paramount that any driver with such a system in their vehicle makes sure that the system is always updated and less susceptible to and malfunction or system failure.

It is of utmost importance that any driver makes sure their vehicle is in a condition suitable for the road. Safety should always be a priority and all those who choose to be on the road should make sure that their vehicles will not be a danger to themselves or others.

Rising Drug Abuse Poses Significant Threats to Road Safety

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As we are all well aware, the United States is facing an ongoing opioid crisis it has long been struggling to control. With a total of 11.4 million people misusing prescription opioids in 2017, it is easy to see the ramifications of the opioid epidemic have found their way into the lives of commercial truck drivers throughout the United States. As of January 1st, 2018, any individual taking a Department of Transportation federally mandated drug test, as those with a commercial driver’s license must do, would be subject to testing not only for drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines, but for semi-synthetic opioids like OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, and Vicodin. This expansion upon the previous drug testing regulations embodies how the trucking industry has had to deal with the issue of drugs among its drivers. While opioids statistically are not the most prevalent drugs being used by drivers within the trucking industry, the new drug testing regulations confirm what many within the industry have known for years; the drug crisis America faces has hit one of its largest industries the hardest.

On June 12, 2019, the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, what many in the industry know as the “Trucking Alliance,” submitted a statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Sub-Committee on Highways and Transit regarding the state of drug use within America’s trucking industry. As part of its statement to Congress, the Trucking Alliance provided data which had been given to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and found compelling evidence of severe drug use among commercial drivers. The data showed results of “151,662 truck driver applicants, who were asked to submit to two drug tests – a urinalysis and a hair analysis. Almost all applicants held an active commercial driver’s license.” In addition, 94% of the applicants tested drug-free; however, there were thousands of applicants who failed either one or both of the tests given. Making the issue far worse, the urinalysis test, which happens to be the only method used by USDOT, actually did not identify a majority of users, missing 9 out of 10 actual illicit drug users. On the other hand, the Trucking Alliance has proposed that USDOT begin mandating a hair analysis to be conducted in addition to the current urinalysis routine. In total, the Trucking Alliance has now stated that based on the estimated 3.5 million commercial drivers within the United States, the data compiled would result in roughly 301,000 commercial drivers failing or refusing a hair analysis. Even though this number appears shocking, it only begins to convey the hazard that such drivers pose to road safety.

Drug Use Among Drivers is Leading to Dangerous Roads

Part of the Trucking Alliance’s plea to Congress on June 12th was to make certain that motorists are not placed in more danger due to a commercial driver’s potential drug abuse problem. As evidenced by the survey conducted, public safety is at risk if trucking companies fail to acknowledge and appropriately test for drugs that have been proven to be rampant within the industry itself. In fact, a Quest Diagnostics analysis conducted between 2015 and 2017, found that commercial drivers who went through post-accident testing saw an increase in positive drug-testing rates rising 51%, from 3.1% in 2017 all the way to 4.7% in 2018.

Of course, the trucking industry is not the only one afflicted by the ongoing drug crisis in the United States; however, as in other industries of high stress and long hours, drug abuse seems all the more likely. With that being said, it is absolutely essential that employers take this data seriously and consider adopting new, more accurate drug tests, in addition to the mandated urinalysis test that has been proven to fail. For the health of the commercial drivers spending hours on the road alone and for the overall well being of the general public, employers must do all they can to keep unsafe drivers off the road.

The Effects of Driving Impaired

While the opioid epidemic is a crisis that must be addressed, many companies are actually finding that the legalization of marijuana through various states in the US is also contributing to driver impairment. Trucking Info’s recent Safety and Compliance report cited an interview with the American Trucking Association’s Abigail Potter, Manager of Safety & Occupational Health Policy. Abigail recently mentioned that even if a driver is operating a vehicle under 26,000 pounds, “you still have to be medically qualified to operate, and one of the requirements is to not use a controlled substance, which include marijuana.” Further, being impaired by marijuana causes “drivers to exhibit poor judgment, decreased motor coordination, and decreased reaction time,” leading drivers to be all the more likely to get into an accident and place others at risk. If these are the effects that marijuana has on drivers, now imagine the impairment that such drivers experience from opioids, which have proven to be prevalent in the trucking industry as the US experiences this ongoing crisis.

What Can Be Done

As it appears the best way to directly attack the ongoing issues within the trucking industry is based solely on understanding who is actually being affected by drug abuse, creating an appropriate guideline for company testing is the most appropriate way to start. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides a checklist to help employers with drug testing. The checklist includes the following:

  • Identify any federal or state laws with which you must comply
  • Consult union officials, if applicable
  • Identify and contact a laboratory certified by the Department of Health and Human Services
  • Create a system that maintains and protects the confidentiality of employee drug testing records
  • Designate an employee who will receive test results from the lab and keep results confidential
  • Develop a clear, consistent and fair policy before reviewing it with legal counsel
  • Notify employees 30 to 60 days before implementing the testing program
  • Contract with a medical review officer; and
  • Inform employees that organization leadership will comply with the policy

The most important thing to keep in mind for trucking companies overseeing this process is to know that there is data suggesting that opting for an additional hair analysis drug test will likely result in far more accurate readings. While the country is as reliant as ever on trucking to transport goods from place to place, that does not mean we should sacrifice driver and road safety to keep more commercial drivers in the industry without getting help. We need to be smart and make certain that everyone on the road remains safe.

Various Ways Ride-Sharing Has Raised Safety Concerns

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There was a time when hopping into the backseat of a stranger’s car as a mode of transportation would have been considered ludicrous. Today, however, ride-sharing is actually one of the fastest-growing and most popular options, especially in large cities such as Chicago. 

Safety Precautions Related To Ride-Sharing Drivers

With ride-sharing’s increased usage, however, also comes rising concerns about just how safe it really is to get into a stranger’s car and trust you’ll be taken to your requested destination. Two of the most popular apps for ride-sharing, Uber and Lyft, have been trying their best to highlight safety awareness for all riders, but after a recent tragedy, when a University of South Carolina student was killed after she accidentally got into the wrong vehicle she thought was her Uber, efforts have been intensified in hopes of avoiding more of these horrific incidents from happening.

Law enforcement agencies and ride-sharing companies urge riders to take extra precaution before getting into their requested vehicles, especially if any drinking has been involved, as many of those pretending to be the ride-sharing drivers often target bars since those riders are more likely to not pay attention. Numerous accusations of assault and abuse have been brought against ride-sharing drivers. Although there is currently no determinative data as to the exact number of reports that have been filed against drivers, rider safety has become one of the main priorities for ride-sharing companies as they continue to work on addressing and improving safety concerns.

As part of this initiative, Uber is getting ready to launch a new feature on its app that will send push notifications to riders to remind them to check both the vehicle and the driver before getting in. In the notification, Uber plans to include the driver’s name, a photo of the driver, the vehicle’s make and model, and the license plate number. Uber will also partner with universities to start a nationwide awareness campaign called “Check Your Ride”.

Lyft currently provides photos of the driver and a description of the vehicle to its riders. Some Lyfts even have displays on the driver’s dashboard that will change color to match the riders’ app, making it significantly easier for riders to identify their correct ride. Lyft released a statement saying, “We are always exploring new, innovative ways to improve the experience for all users, and most importantly, to keep our community safe.”

Awareness of Vehicle Recall Issues

Although Uber and Lyft have made statements about prioritizing rider safety, there will always be a risk for passengers, especially in environments where riders are not fully aware of their surroundings. Hopefully, as ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft continue strengthening their safety precautions, riders will be able to use ride-share more comfortably where their safety is involved.  

Getting into the car of a stranger and putting your safety into his or her hands is not the only thing riders must be concerned about. In a recent report from Consumer Reports, a review of 94,000 vehicles in New York City and Seattle. The two cities are heavily reliant on ride-sharing and have governments that require drivers to register their vehicles and obtain additional licenses to be allowed to work through regulators. In this study, it was discovered that about 1 in 6 vehicles had one or more open safety recalls. Some of these vehicles had serious issues, such as the Takata airbags that were discovered to be capable of hurting or killing the driver or front-seat passenger, and posed serious risks for riders and drivers alike.

Despite Uber and Lyft constantly trying to change and influence daily transportation for people, the discovery that fairly minor steps have been taken to guarantee that their drivers address any recall issues they are having is concerning. Currently, Uber and Lyft generally allow vehicles that are legally registered and no more than 10 to 15 years old to be driven for ride-sharing, with adjustments made depending on the city. Although local requirements might mean more carefully monitored vehicle inspections, neither Uber nor Lyft have a clear policy for open recalls.

These concerns about the safety of the actual vehicles being used for ride-sharing leads to a question of what to do in a situation where something happens to the vehicle. How can ride-sharing companies improve the foreseeability of terrible accidents occurring due to vehicle malfunction?

Although there is currently no definitive plan from either Uber or Lyft for how they will improve the monitoring of these recall issues, there is hope that more significant steps will be taken for so many unanswered recall problems. In response to the report, Uber and Lyft representatives sent written statements to Consumer Report stating that there were a number of initiatives being put in place to work with drivers on improving how they address recalls. Uber specifically stated “it recognizes the role it can play in helping keep the roads safe for everyone.”

As the safety of both passengers and drivers is incredibly important, we hope that ride-sharing companies, especially the more popular ones such as Uber and Lyft, continue to pursue a more definitive plan to address recall issues and help us maintain safer roads.