Uber and Metropolitan Traffic Fatalities in the United States.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal panel study across US metropolitan counties (graded by design analogy, not clinical CEBM).
PubMed 27449416 · doi:10.1093/aje/kww062
What was done
The authors analyzed variation in the timing of Uber's rollout across US metropolitan counties from 2005 to 2014 within the 100 most populated metropolitan areas. They used negative binomial and Poisson regression models to test associations between Uber availability and total traffic fatalities, drunk driving-related fatalities, and weekend- and holiday-specific traffic fatalities.
What was found
The deployment of Uber services had no association with subsequent traffic fatalities across any tested outcome (total fatalities, drunk-driving fatalities, or weekend/holiday fatalities). The abstract reports no numerical risk estimates or confidence intervals.
Why it matters
Despite hypotheses that convenient on-demand rideshare services would reduce alcohol-involved driving deaths, this large metropolitan analysis found no measurable population-level reduction in traffic fatalities during the initial rollout years.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or precision metrics. The study is ecological at the county/metropolitan level, covers the early 2005-2014 adoption window when rideshare market penetration was lower, and did not evaluate non-fatal crash injuries or specific individual-level ride usage.
Cited by
- contradicts Ridesharing services such as Uber have led to a significant reduction in drunk driving deaths.