Uber Might Not Decrease Drunken Driving, But We're The Reason Why

Ride-hailing app Uber claims its service decreases instances of drunken driving, but a new study disagrees.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the 100 largest metropolitan populations across the U.S. from 2005 to 2014.

And researchers found Uber had little to no effect on instances of drunken driving-related fatalities across the board.

The study even separated weekends and holidays and still saw no significant decrease in the number of deaths.

Uber's website touts there are "fewer drunk drivers on the streets" of cities where it operates, and the company has cited several reports and released its own research that support its claim.

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Researchers from The Social Science Research Network found a correlation with decreases in fatalities and Uber X but not always with the luxury option Uber Black.

And Providence College published a study in June that also found a similar correlation.

This new research found little to no noticeable effect on cities where Uber operates. But, of course, that's not on Uber. It's on the people who choose not to use it.

The study suggests several reasons for Uber's apparent lack of effect on drunken driving, like people not wanting to pay for a ride and hindered judgment after having several drinks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported nearly 10,000 drunken driving fatalities in 2014 alone.

This video includes clips from Uber. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.