Date: August 4, 2021
Contact: Geoff Vetter (916) 634-9051
[email protected]

ICYMI: New Study Shows Rideshare Services Save Lives and Reduce Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities

Sacramento, CA – A new analysis published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, conducted by Michael L. Anderson and Lucas W. Davis, from the University of California, Berkeley, found that rideshare services have had a profound impact in decreasing traffic fatalities across the United States.

Using proprietary Uber data, in combination with trip counts and data from the Census spanning July 2012 to January 2017, Anderson and David observed:

• Ridesharing has had a “robust negative impact” on decreasing alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the U.S. by 6.1%, and total traffic fatalities by 4.0%.
• The greatest impact on preventing traffic fatalities is primarily concentrated during nights and weekends.

“The value of ride-sharing apps has been proven in the marketplace, and residents of areas poorly served by old-fashioned cabs have a particular reason to be grateful. Now here’s a remarkable safety bonus,” wrote the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board in a recent opinion article. “Apps like Uber aren’t for everything, but what a boon. If this study is right, ride-sharing services have helped make the roads safer, and hundreds of people are alive today because they exist.”

About Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) Coalition

The Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) coalition, formerly the Yes on Prop 22 coalition, is continuing to engage to ensure the will of California voters is upheld; to protect access to independent, app-based jobs; and to preserve the availability, affordability and reliability of on-demand app-based rideshare and delivery services that are essential to Californians and our economy.

Proposition 22 was supported by 59% of California voters, 120,000 drivers, and a diverse coalition of more than 140 groups including social justice, senior, community, business, veterans and many others.