Alexa Orosco was waiting for a bus on the corner of Main Street and Main Avenue in Antioch, California when she was hit by a rideshare driver whose attention was not on the road in front of him. Alexa was hospitalized for nine days with a fractured ankle, concussion and other bodily injuries, along with road rash scars that will always be a reminder of the accident. That was two years ago. And though the rideshare driver admitted to driving distracted due to looking at his rideshare app, he was not charged with a crime. In a moment that is a microcosm of the problems that plague distracted drivers across the country, yet another rideshare driver was responsible for injuring a pedestrian. Orosco says she forgives the driver but will never forget the life changing experience. “I’m hoping I can get a good lawyer who can help pay for all my medical bills that I have after the accident. Living in constant pain is really, really difficult. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
What about rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft? Uber has taken an increasingly public role in the debate over road safety. It has issued basic safety guidelines, and added many safety protocols, tips and warnings in their app. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Uber drivers who use and look at their app while driving passengers are putting lives (including their own) at risk. It takes only a fraction of a second for a drivers eyes to go from the road in front of them to looking at the app (or cell phone or other device). In that moment, a vehicle can travel hundreds of feed depending on the rate of speed they are going. Anyone who has been in an accident knows that a crash can happen in the literal blink of an eye.
If you are noticing your Uber, Lyft or any other driver driving distracted, make sure to report it. It just may end up saving a life.