Uber Sets New Limits to Help Prevent Drowsy Driving Accidents

Drowsy driving puts motorists at risk of serious collisions because driving while fatigued can have a similar impact on your faculties as driving while drunk. Impaired decision-making and delayed reflexes are common when driving after not getting enough sleep, and those who cause accidents while they are fatigued should be held accountable for their actions. A Colorado springs car accident lawyer should be consulted by crash victims to pursue a claim for monetary compensation if a collision occurs.

While individual drivers need to make their own decisions not to drive while fatigued, Uber is doing its part to try to stop its most active drivers from causing fatigued driving collisions. Fortune reported on new efforts by the popular ride-share company to reduce the likelihood that Uber drivers will stay on the road long enough to present a risk to themselves and others.

Uber Aiming to Help Prevent Drowsy Driving Collisions

According to Fortune, Uber's new plan to help combat drowsy driving involves shutting the company's most active drivers out of the app for a break of at least six hours after the drivers have driven for a total of 12 or more hours.  

Uber has put the rule in place for drivers throughout the entirety of the United States. When drivers begin approaching their 12 hour limit, they will be notified that they are approaching the time limit. Drivers will be notified two hours before reaching the limit and again an hour before reaching the limit.  Uber data on drivers indicate that less than half of drivers who drive for the ride sharing company are likely to be impacted by the new policy as most drivers work for Uber for less than 10 hours weekly.

The change to the rules has moved Uber closer into compliance with federal regulations that limit truck drivers to driving more than 11 hours daily. However, Uber does not count waiting periods that span more than five minutes towards the 12 hour time limit for drivers, which means that it is possible that many drivers actually will drive for more than a 12 hour period of time.

Unfortunately, driving for this long can still put motorists at risk of becoming too fatigued to drive safely. Drowsy driving is a major problem in the United States, with around three percent of motorists admitting to falling asleep while driving at least once in the two weeks before responding to a study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. While this may not seem like many drivers, it's actually more than seven million motorists.

With so many drivers dozing off and otherwise driving when they present a risk due to fatigue, it should come as no surprise that around 83,000 auto accidents each year occurred because of drowsy driving between 2005 and 2009. If a crash happens because motorists are too tired to drive safely, a Colorado Springs car accident lawyer should be consulted for help pursuing a claim for compensation from those responsible for causing the accident to occur.