The advent of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft has dramatically changed transportation in cities and towns across Arizona. While ridesharing offers convenience and flexibility for riders, it also comes with risks—especially when drivers rely too heavily on GPS navigation to guide them to pickup and drop-off locations. Inattention to the road combined with blind trust in apps like Google Maps and Waze has led to collisions and injuries on Arizona streets.
How Rideshare Drivers Use GPS
Rideshare drivers depend on GPS navigation apps for turn-by-turn directions to rider pickup spots and destinations. The apps provide the quickest routes and recalculate if the driver makes a wrong turn. While GPS can be useful, drivers often focus too much on following app directions and not enough on actual road conditions and traffic around them. This divided attention can lead to dangerous errors, like:
- Making illegal turns across multiple lanes to follow the GPS route
- Running red lights or stop signs to stay on the directed path
- Getting distracted from watching for pedestrians in crosswalks
- Rear-ending other cars stopped or slowing in front of them
- Side-swiping vehicles in other lanes during unsafe lane changes
- Missing exits then stopping or backing up on highways
Additionally, GPS apps don’t account for construction zones, new traffic patterns, weather conditions, or other temporary situations that require extra caution on the road. As a result, rideshare drivers who stubbornly follow GPS guidance into unsafe conditions often cause accidents in Arizona.
How Rideshare Companies Contribute to the Problem
While individual rideshare drivers bear responsibility for maintaining safe driving habits, the policies and procedures of Uber, Lyft, and similar companies also play a role in encouraging over-reliance on GPS.
For instance, ridesharing services track driver routes via GPS and use this data to monitor job performance. Drivers feel pressured to strictly follow the navigation apps to avoid getting penalized or deactivated if they diverge from the set path too often. This can motivate blind obedience to GPS even when it directs hazardous maneuvers.
Additionally, the rideshare business model relies on drivers completing as many fares as possible in a shift to maximize company profits. Features like Lyft’s “Destination Mode” also aim to limit time between rides. Drivers racing against the clock to pick up the next passenger are more likely to depend on GPS shortcuts instead of driving cautiously.
Limited training and screening processes at some rideshare companies also put more distracted drivers on the road. Unlike commercial taxi and limo drivers who go through extensive training to get licensed, requirements to become a rideshare driver are minimal in many areas. This makes it more likely for unsafe driving habits, including over-reliance on navigation apps, to go unchecked.
Factors That Increase GPS-Related Crash Risks
Certain conditions make it even more likely for distraction from navigation apps to result in rideshare accidents:
- Night driving – Bright GPS screens draw driver attention away from dark roads. This makes it harder to see pedestrians, cyclists, animals, and other potential hazards.
- Bad weather – Following phone prompts instead of reacting to slick roads during storms raises risks. Rain, fog, and snow impact visibility and traction but aren’t accounted for in “sunny day” GPS routes.
- Event traffic – Congested roads after concerts, games, etc. require more real-time adjustment than GPS provides. Drivers focused on apps fail to notice sudden changes in dense crowds.
- Unfamiliar areas – Drivers trusting apps in neighborhoods they don’t know are more accident-prone. They may not anticipate the challenges of narrow, winding streets or areas with limited visibility.
- Vehicle defects – Faulty headlights, brakes, or tires make it harder to compensate for navigation errors. Rideshare companies that fail to inspect for defects contribute to the problem.
- Driver inexperience – Newer rideshare drivers are less likely to realize when GPS directions are unsafe to follow. They lack the driving judgment that comes from experience.
- Driver impairment – Rideshare drivers under the influence of alcohol, recreational marijuana, prescription medications or other drugs have slower reaction times if led astray by apps. Their judgment is compromised.
- Construction zones – Out-of-date GPS maps direct drivers into closed lanes, blocked roads, and other hazards in construction areas. Orange cones and signs should take precedence over apps.
- Poor GPS signal – Apps malfunctioning due to dead zones, no data connection, or technical issues provide unreliable directions that shouldn’t be followed blindly.
- Driver distraction – Eating, texting, talking on the phone, and other distractions on top of GPS divide attention further from the road and traffic conditions.
By recognizing these scenarios that amplify risks, injury victims can build strong cases showing the rideshare company should have prevented the crash.
Liability in Rideshare Navigation Accidents
When rideshare collisions occur due to GPS errors, who is at fault? Typically, liability falls on the driver who chose to obediently follow phone directions instead of driving safely based on real-world conditions. However, rideshare companies may share responsibility if they:
- Encourage drivers to rely on GPS without sufficient training on safe driving practices
- Fail to screen, hire, or supervise reckless drivers prone to distraction
- Apply time pressures that motivate hurried, dangerous maneuvers
- Allow impaired driving or use of defective vehicles
In many serious rideshare accidents caused at least partly by navigation errors, injury victims have valid claims against both the driver and company for compensation. An experienced attorney can help determine all liable parties in your crash.
Damages You Can Claim
If you or a loved one were harmed by a rideshare driver’s misguided use of GPS in Arizona, you may be entitled to damages for:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost income from missed work
- Loss of future earnings capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Loss of consortium for family members
- Punitive damages from rideshare company
By pursuing the full damages warrantied by the unique circumstances of your case, you can recover the maximum compensation to move forward after a life-altering accident.
Monge & Associates Can Help
Don’t let a rideshare company tell you that you can’t win a case against them. Our experienced personal injury lawyers have helped many victims of negligent rideshare drivers across Arizona get justice and full financial recovery. We have 32 offices in 19 states, including Arizona, Virginia, and Maryland. Let our attorneys review your situation free of charge and advise you of all your options. Call Monge & Associates today at (888) 477-0597 to schedule a free consultation.