Lyft safety report shows more fatalities, fewer serious sexual assaults
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From 2020 to 2022 — amid the height of the pandemic — Lyft saw an increase in motor vehicle fatalities and fatal physical assaults, and a decrease in the five most serious types of sexual assaults as compared to 2017–2019, per its second safety report.
Why it matters: Both Lyft and its rival, Uber, have long been criticized by victims for not doing enough to protect passengers and drivers.
By the numbers: From 2020 to 2022, there were about 1.41 billion Lyft rides, which is 337 million fewer rides than during the period covered in its previous report, 2017 to 2019. Among those rides:
- Motor vehicle fatalities: 111 in total, a 14% increase in rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and a 31% increase in incident frequency rate from Lyft's previous report.
- Fatal physical assaults: 23 in total, a 185% increase in incident frequency rate from the previous report.
- Instances of the five most serious categories of sexual assault: 2,651 in total, a 21% decrease in incident frequency rate from the previous report.
- Overall, Lyft says these incidents occurred in only 0.0002% of rides.
Zoom in: Lyft notes that the increases in motor vehicle fatalities and fatal physical assaults happened in parallel with broader nationwide trends, and that its numbers remained below those national averages.
- The company points out that "preliminary studies by the NHTSA attributed the increase in fatalities to riskier behavior from drivers during the pandemic, including speeding, failure to wear seat belts, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol."
- It also says it saw an increase in carjackings, peaking in late 2020, similar to broader nationwide trends, and that mask policies also led to conflict during that period.
The bottom line: Even ride-hailing companies are not immune from societal safety challenges.
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