From The Verge:
Uber trips are getting safer, with the company reporting far fewer sexual assaults in 2019 and 2020 as compared to previous years. But the number of traffic deaths during Uber rides is rising, reflecting the increasingly dangerous conditions on US roads.
Uber said 3,824 sexual assaults occurred during trips in 2019 and 2020, a 38 percent drop from the 2017–2018 report, which logged 5,981 assaults. The decrease could be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an 80 percent drop in Uber’s ride-hailing business during 2020. Still, Uber says the vast majority of trips, 99.9 percent, occur without a safety incident.
Uber says that 20 people were killed in physical assaults in 2019 and 2020, an 18 percent increase compared to the last report. Among the deaths, 15 were riders and five were drivers. And, of the 15 rider fatalities, 12 were killed by a third party or another rider. (An Uber spokesperson did not respond to questions about the remaining three deaths.)
There were 101 traffic fatalities across Uber’s platform in 2019 and 2020, including 14 drivers and 19 riders. The remaining people killed were other vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, or pedestrians. Notably, there were 23 pedestrians and three bicyclists or scooter riders killed by Uber vehicles. The company uses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s methodology and data standardization to assess vehicle crashes and fatalities.
Continue reading Uber rides are getting safer, but the roads are deadlier than ever on The Verge
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