Thousands of people rely on Uber’s rideshare service to get to where they need to go, whether they are going out to the club with friends, heading to a doctor’s appointment, or even rushing to pick their children up from school. Regardless of the reason for using the rideshare service, there are some dangers associated with Uber that everyone needs to know.
Unfortunately, people have been involved in accidents involving Uber vehicles and the company’s drivers. When these accidents occur, victims often need to get a Philadelphia personal injury attorney involved in the situation to fight for compensation. Kwartler Manus, LLC takes a straightforward approach to help victims recover damages when involved in accidents caused by an Uber driver.
The Driver Could Have a Criminal Past
Uber does perform background checks on its drivers to get more information on their criminal past. The company has a rule in which anyone convicted of a felony within the past seven years is unable to drive for them. However, that does not disqualify those who have committed serious crimes many years ago.
Someone who was convicted of sexual assault, physical assault, or other felonies more than a decade ago would still have the opportunity to drive for Uber. And, while people can change, some people are predators waiting for a way to gain easy access to their prey. It is the unfortunate truth involving many drivers for Uber who have already been arrested and charged with assault crimes.
The Driver May Not Follow Road Rules Carefully Enough
When you ride in an Uber, you never know how serious the driver is about following the rules of the road and driving safely. Some drivers simply want to make money, but they do not care about the safety of their passengers, so they speed throughout the ride, swerve from one lane to the next to avoid traffic, and run through stop signs like they are non-existent. Some drivers might use their phones while operating the vehicle. The use of a phone or any electronic device while driving can easily lead to distractions that cause car collisions on the road.
If an Uber driver is driving dangerously, the risk of getting into a collision is much greater than it is when a driver is taking necessary safety precautions and following all the rules. As a passenger, you may simply want to get to your destination safely, but that does not always happen because of the driver that you could end up with when choosing to pay for an Uber ride.
The Driver Might Not Have Insurance
There’s no way for you to know if the driver has insurance. There’s no way for Uber to technically know if their drivers have insurance. The driver very well could’ve been insured when they began driving with Uber, but their insurance might have lapsed since that time.
How Safe is the Vehicle?
Do you really know how safe the vehicle is that’s being driven? There’s no way to find out the last time the vehicle was in for service or had new tires installed. Are there working airbags in the vehicle? What if you get into the vehicle and there are no seat belts? These are all issues that you might come across when using Uber.Riding in an Uber is not the safest method of transportation for anyone. There are many dangers associated with this rideshare service. Different types of accidents have occurred involving these drivers, including motor vehicle accidents and physical assaults. When involved in a situation involving someone driving for Uber, you may need to hire a personal injury attorney to take on your case. At Kwartler Manus, LLC, our personal injury attorneys are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us online or by phone by calling our office at 267-457-5570 to schedule a free consultation with our legal team.