What Causes Ridesharing Accidents?

Ridesharing accidents have resulted in a number of serious injuries for drivers, passengers, and passersby on other vehicles. Sadly, these incidents have also resulted in the fatalities of many pedestrians and passengers. Many studies reveal that the mere existence of multiple ridesharing cars on the road adds to the likelihood of fatal accidents and injuries in an area. In fact, a study carried out in San Diego found that the rate of car-bike collision injuries nearly tripled during hours of winter. Fortunately, measures are in place in many cities throughout the US to crack down on ridesharing accidents. If you use Lyft a lot, we recommend talking to a San Diego Lyft accident lawyer if you had an event.

The main areas in which ridesharing companies have encountered problems are Los Angeles, California; San Diego, California; and Orlando, Florida. Each city has different regulations regarding the operation of these services. In San Diego, for example, drivers can choose to load more than one passenger, whereas in Orlando, drivers are restricted to loading two passengers only. Similarly, riders in Los Angeles are not permitted to load more than two people, whereas they are allowed to do so in San Diego. Bikes are also prohibited in both cities.

However, although ridesharing accidents are relatively common, this should not lead people to believe that it is simply a result of bad road conditions. Rather, there are a number of common causes for car accidents involving ridesharing. The most common are inferior road conditions, poor vehicle maintenance, inexperienced drivers, and other factors. While most of these situations can be easily avoided, sometimes they cannot. As a result, ridesharing accidents are more common than most people realize.

The number one cause of ridesharing accidents is mechanical breakdowns. Many vehicles, particularly trucks, are built poorly and cannot withstand the impact of rough roads. When a truck breaks down, it often hits another vehicle or starts to crash, putting all passengers in danger. To prevent this problem, all trucks must have a reliable maintenance program that ensures they always run on time. If drivers do not maintain their trucks well enough, they will be liable to pay for any damages they cause.

Apart, from mechanical breakdowns, another leading cause of ridesharing accidents is speeding. Speeding is an illegal activity, which is why most state laws against it. However, many drivers do not know how much speed to drive at, so they accelerate too fast. This often results in them losing control of their vehicles, smashing into other cars, or causing severe bodily injuries. Speeding can be controlled if drivers carefully follow all traffic rules, but even then, it is difficult to avoid speeding altogether.

Because some ridesharing accidents involve both vehicles, one of the leading causes of mishaps is “deadheading.” Deadheading is a term for applying brake pressure to slow a vehicle in order to turn it around when it is going too fast. A well-trained rideshare driver should always apply deadhead pressure at the right moment, since this makes it much easier to control the vehicle in case it suddenly acceleration. Unfortunately, this method has also been known to sometimes result in multiple fatal accidents. As such, it is important for rideshare drivers to know exactly what they are doing when applying brake pressure to slow a passenger vehicle, especially if the vehicle is going fast.