Study: Access to Uber Reduces Drunk Driving Deaths

Researchers have found evidence of one fairly consequential benefit of transportation network companies like Uber.

1 minute read

August 14, 2015, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"There’s an unexpected upside to the introduction of Uber into more and more U.S. cities, according to a study published earlier this year: the service helps reduce drunk driving fatalities."

Angie Schmitt shares the findings of a report by researchers at Temple University and funded Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Schmitt adds more about the findings of the research:

"The study concluded that would-be drunk drivers appear to be sensitive to price as well as the availability of driver services. In others words, Uber X makes it easier and cheaper to hire a driver, offering an alternative to drunk driving for a small but significant percentage of the population, the authors concluded. On the other hand, the availability of a more expensive but more accessible driver service than a traditional taxi — Uber Black — did not seem to impact drunk driving behavior."

Thursday, August 13, 2015 in Streetsblog USA

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