Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have transformed urban transportation, offering speed, affordability, and convenience unmatched by most taxis and public transit. In 2024, Uber reported 44.1 million active U.S. users, while Lyft reached 23.7 million—a combined total that highlights the popularity of both platforms.
While ridesharing has revolutionized urban mobility, safety remains a top priority, with riders strongly encouraged to proactively verify their driver’s identity, share trip details with trusted contacts, and remain aware of their surroundings throughout the ride.
Yet even with expanded safety features, recent data reveals serious accidents on both platforms, prompting new conversations around accountability, prevention, and platform responsibility. At Vaziri Law Group, we’ve been closely following what we consider the Uber safety divide—the gap between how widely these services are used and how dangerous they can be.
Rideshare Incidents: By the Numbers
Both Uber and Lyft regularly publish safety transparency reports that reveal the risks users face. And while the vast majority of trips are incident-free, the long-term data shows that serious incidents continue to occur, and at a pace that raises ongoing concerns for riders, drivers, and policymakers alike.
Uber fatality figures have steadily risen over recent years. From 107 motor-vehicle fatalities between 2017 and 2018, and 101 fatalities between 2019–2020, the company subsequently posted 153 fatalities between 2021 and 2022: the highest total across all of its reporting cycles. Lyft’s numbers broadly replicate this pattern.
Between 2017 and 2019, the company reported 105 fatalities. Thereafter, Lyft fatality numbers show a steady rise: 25 fatalities in 2020, 36 in 2021, and 50 in 2022.
Alongside Lyft’s most recent multi-year reporting window (2020 to 2022), when the platform reported 111 traffic-related fatalities, it also revealed 23 fatal physical assaults, underscoring the fact that rideshare risks (and fatalities) are about more than just collisions.
Taken together, these earlier and more recent figures paint a fuller picture: despite improvements in technology, background checks, and safety protocols, both platforms continue to record significant numbers of severe incidents year after year. The data makes it clear that ridesharing’s rapid growth has not eliminated the underlying dangers—and in some periods, those risks have grown more pronounced.
Uber also disclosed 2,717 reports of sexual assault in its 2021–2022 cycle, while Lyft reported 2,651 incidents across its 2020–2022 period.
Although the reporting windows are not identical and therefore cannot be compared on a one-to-one basis, the figures illustrate that both platforms continue to record significant numbers of serious incidents each year.
While Uber’s larger user base and trip volume play a role in its higher totals, both sets of figures make it clear: no major rideshare platform is immune to serious safety concerns.
Why Totals Don’t Tell the Whole Story
When comparing safety data across Uber and Lyft, it’s important to note that Uber operates at a significantly larger scale. More users mean more trips, and more trips inevitably mean more incidents.
Safety experts caution that incident rates—not just raw totals—offer a more accurate measure of risk. For instance, both companies suggest that safety incidents are extremely rare when measured per 100 million rides. Yet this fact doesn’t erase the risks that come with rapid growth and inconsistent accountability.
As the rideshare market continues to expand, questions remain about whether growth is being matched with adequate safeguards, particularly in high-volume urban zones and during peak-risk hours.
High-Risk Timing: When and Where Crashes Happen
Rideshare crashes aren’t evenly distributed across the twenty-four-hour clock. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 66% of fatal crashes between midnight and 3 am involve drunk driving, while 77% of nighttime fatalities involve speeding.
These statistics overlap closely with peak rideshare usage hours. Late-night pickups in nightlife districts are common, especially on weekends. In California, more than 51% of alcohol-related traffic deaths occur between 9 pm and 3 am—the exact time periods during which Uber and Lyft activity spikes.
Urban areas are especially dangerous: according to Uber’s own data, 97% of fatal crashes connected to its platform occur in metropolitan environments.
Cities like Los Angeles (329 traffic fatalities), Houston (296), New York (230), and Miami (67) consistently report higher incident rates due to heavy congestion, limited visibility, and pedestrian density.
Here are some of the main factors that exacerbate rideshare crash risk.
- Nighttime driving (especially 12–3 am)
- Drunk drivers on the roads
- Speeding in high-traffic zones
- Urban congestion
- Darker roads
- Tired drivers due to long hours at the wheel
These conditions aren’t exclusive to rideshare drivers—but because of the job’s demands, gig workers face elevated exposure.
Third-Party Collisions: Who’s Really at Fault?
Not every incident reported by rideshare companies involves their own drivers. Both Uber and Lyft note that a significant percentage of motor vehicle fatalities are caused by third-party drivers, who may strike a rideshare vehicle or pedestrian.
Uber’s data perfectly illustrates this pattern. A third (33%) of Uber-related fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver, with all (100%) of those cases caused by third-party drivers. Speeding figures emphasize a similar trend, with 39% of Uber-related fatalities involving a speeding vehicle, and 93% of those crashes attributed to someone other than the Uber driver.
And wrong-way collisions observe a similar pattern: 13% of fatal Uber crashes involved a driver traveling the wrong way, with all (100%) of those incidents caused by a third party.
This presents a murky legal landscape. When a third-party driver is involved, liability becomes difficult to determine—especially if the Uber or Lyft trip was still in progress. In many cases, injured riders may be unsure whether the platform, their driver, or the third-party vehicle is legally responsible.
Further complicating matters is the lack of equivalent third-party data from Lyft. Unlike Uber, Lyft does not break down which fatal crashes were caused by their own drivers versus outside motorists—leaving a noticeable transparency gap that makes cross-platform comparisons difficult.
These scenarios raise deeper concerns about insurance coverage clarity, crash responsibility (when a crash happens off–app or during deadheading), and gaps in legal protection for passengers caught in multi–vehicle collisions.
For injury victims, this legal ambiguity makes it even more essential to speak with an attorney who understands rideshare-specific litigation and liability structures.
Ridesharing Is Changing Urban Traffic—and Raising New Risks
As more Americans use rideshare apps, road changes go beyond individual safety. Studies show that Uber and Lyft are reshaping traffic flows, crash frequency, and how cities manage congestion.
A 2022 study by the University of Chicago found that the introduction of rideshare platforms was linked to a 2–3% rise in annual traffic fatalities—nearly 1,000 additional deaths each year.
This increase wasn’t tied to individual driver recklessness, but rather to broader factors like increased vehicle miles traveled, a higher level of urban congestion, and the rise of “deadheading”—when drivers roam without passengers between fares.
Supporting research from the University of Illinois Chicago found that 33% of rideshare drivers have been involved in a crash while working, underscoring the occupational risks of high-demand, late-night driving.
Additional data shows that rideshare vehicles travel 40–60% more miles than private cars, that while platforms may reduce DUI crashes, they increase total traffic collisions, and that urban areas face rising congestion and emissions tied directly to rideshare density.
The takeaway: ridesharing doesn’t just replace personal car trips. It adds vehicles to our roads, increases travel time, and reshapes city safety dynamics.
Safety Innovations: What Uber and Lyft Are Doing Right
To address growing safety concerns, both rideshare companies have introduced significant in-app and operational changes. Uber’s RideCheck feature uses GPS and motion sensors to detect unexpected stops, route deviations, or crashes. If something abnormal is detected, both the rider and driver receive prompts to confirm safety or call for help.
Lyft offers a similar system called Smart Trip Check-In, and its Emergency Help Button connects users to trained ADT agents for live monitoring.
A brief summary of rideshare safety features implemented by Uber and Lyft
- Continuous driver background checks
- Real-time trip tracking and emergency alerts
- Rider-driver gender preference settings
- Partnerships with RAINN and NSVRC for assault prevention training
- App-embedded safety reminders and education
Many of these features are available in over 90% of U.S. markets, reflecting an industry-wide shift toward prevention and accountability.
Gender-Based Safety: A Growing Priority
While safety concerns affect all riders, women and nonbinary passengers report higher rates of negative experiences. Early safety data highlighted the scale of the problem, with Lyft recording 4,158 sexual assault reports between 2017 and 2019, and Uber reporting 5,981 incidents between 2017 and 2018.
Both companies saw declining sexual assault numbers across subsequent years. Uber reports of sexual assault fell 38% from 5,981 between 2017 and 2018, to 3,824 between 2019 and 2020, dropping by a further 29% (to 2,717) between 2021 and 2022. Lyft numbers followed a similar pattern: their reports of sexual assault fell 21%, from 4,158 between 2017 and 2019 to 2,651 between 2020 and 2022.
Despite such reductions, the numbers remain deeply concerning. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, Uber and Lyft collectively recorded more than 5,300 reports of sexual assault, including hundreds involving non-consensual sexual penetration or attempted penetration.
Uber’s latest reports list 2,717 incidents, while Lyft disclosed 2,651 incidents over a slightly longer period. Such shocking figures underscore not only the ongoing nature of the problem but also the continual gaps in public transparency.
Each sexual assault report represents much more than a number and involves a harrowing and degrading experience during which riders felt isolated, trapped, or unable to safely exit a moving vehicle.
In response, both Uber and Lyft now offer gender preference settings, allowing users to request a female or nonbinary driver (when available). However, availability is still limited in many cities, especially during off-peak hours.
This feature has been widely praised by safety advocates, but experts caution that technology is only one part of the solution. True improvement, they argue, will come from broader access to same-gender drivers, comprehensive incident reporting tools, stronger survivor support, and more transparent complaint outcomes.
For vulnerable riders (particularly women traveling alone at night), trust in the platform is often as important as the ride itself.
Policy and Legal Oversight: What Still Needs to Change
Despite safety improvements, no unified federal regulation currently governs rideshare safety standards. Many key policies are set at state or city level, resulting in inconsistencies in background checks, insurance minimums, and driver classification.
Notable legislation includes:
- California’s AB5, which reclassified rideshare drivers as employees (though legal challenges continue)
- New York City’s cap on rideshare licenses, aimed at limiting congestion
- Municipal zoning changes in cities like San Francisco and Austin to better manage curbside pickup zones.
Still, much of the regulatory burden falls on local governments, and enforcement varies widely. Many legal professionals continue to argue for a national safety baseline for rideshare apps, standardized insurance protections for passengers, and federal-level oversight on assault reporting and response protocols.
For law firms that represent accident victims or assault survivors, these gaps in regulation can pose challenges when pursuing accountability.
The Road Ahead: Balancing Convenience With Responsibility
Ridesharing has redefined modern mobility, offering on-demand transportation to tens of millions of people each year. It has helped reduce impaired driving, expanded access to underserved communities, and created flexible earning opportunities for drivers.
But as study data shows, convenience and safety don’t always go hand in hand. With rising traffic fatalities, persistent reports of assault, and unclear accountability structures, the rideshare industry is still working to close the gap between growth and protection.
At Vaziri Law Group, our California rideshare attorneys advocate for a safer, more transparent rideshare ecosystem—one that protects riders, supports drivers, and holds platforms accountable when things go wrong.
As usage continues to rise, especially in large states like California, Texas, and New York, the future of ridesharing will depend on more than just faster pickups. It will also depend on how seriously companies, cities, and lawmakers treat the responsibility of getting people home safely.