Two million U.S. drivers admitted to nodding off at the wheel of their car in a two week period back in 2016, according to a report by the National Sleep Foundation. And this had led to some high-profile campaigns, including ones by the mighty Uber which has sought to raise awareness of the dangers of so-called “drowsy driving.”
However, the ride-hailing giant has today revealed it’s ramping things up a notch by restricting its drivers to a maximum of 12 hours of driving time before they’re forced offline for a 6-hour break.
The company claimed that nearly two-thirds of its U.S. drivers actually drive with Uber for less than ten hours a week anyway, but it didn’t reveal how many actively drive for longer than 12 hours at a time.
What’s most interesting about this move is that it’s more than a recommendation. And Uber’s actions constitute more than a simple pop-up reminder message: the driver’s app will be pushed offline once the 12-hour driving limit has been reached. And it won’t come online again for another six hours after that.
“This move will strengthen our approach to help keep riders and drivers safe on the road while preserving the flexibility drivers tell us they love,” said Uber product director Sachin Kansal, in a blog post.
Drivers will see notifications on their screen periodically after 10 hours, and when they hit their 12-hour limit, their shift’s automatically ended. Even if a driver does punctuate their shift with sporadic shorter breaks, it appears that the 12 hour limit still applies: the only way to reset the clock is by taking a 6-hour break.
On paper, this seems like a great move by Uber, but in reality drivers will likely find ways around it. They could, for example, switch between different ride-hailing services, so that when their time’s up with Uber they turn on Lyft.
Moreover, there is nothing stopping drivers from “moonlighting”, whereby they work their normal job during the day, then driver for Uber at night — there’s no real way of knowing how well rested a driver really is. But there is only so much Uber can do to stop its drivers from driving while fatigued.
“Everyone knows that drinking and driving is dangerous, but many don’t know the risks or warning signs of drowsy driving,” added Kansal. “Our Community Guidelines make clear that it’s important to take a break when feeling tired on the road. We’ve also piloted features like an in-app notification that reminds drivers of this.”
from Social – VentureBeat http://ift.tt/2o0REdo
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