Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Rideshare Saves Lives
RECEIVED Thu., April 28, 2016
Dear Editor,
The Chronicle has maintained a strong stance in favor of Proposition 1, which would increase regulation on ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Though the Chronicle has offered some compelling arguments in favor of regulation, it has not adequately addressed what I see as the strongest argument against regulation: Ridesharing saves lives by decreasing drunk driving.
Increased regulation will likely lower the availability of ridesharing services, and, at worst, will drive them entirely out of Austin. While allowing these companies to “regulate themselves” may have its own disadvantages (be it driver quality or labor issues), isn’t it possible that these are outweighed by the potential of these services to save lives? Last year over 1,400 lives were lost on Texas roads as a result of drinking and driving, and evidence suggests that ridesharing programs have significantly decreased the death toll percentage in Austin. I would be curious to hear how the Chronicle addresses this aspect of the issue, as without doing so, the Chronicle’s current stance in favor of Proposition 1 appears to be irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
The Chronicle has maintained a strong stance in favor of Proposition 1, which would increase regulation on ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Though the Chronicle has offered some compelling arguments in favor of regulation, it has not adequately addressed what I see as the strongest argument against regulation: Ridesharing saves lives by decreasing drunk driving.
Increased regulation will likely lower the availability of ridesharing services, and, at worst, will drive them entirely out of Austin. While allowing these companies to “regulate themselves” may have its own disadvantages (be it driver quality or labor issues), isn’t it possible that these are outweighed by the potential of these services to save lives? Last year over 1,400 lives were lost on Texas roads as a result of drinking and driving, and evidence suggests that ridesharing programs have significantly decreased the death toll percentage in Austin. I would be curious to hear how the Chronicle addresses this aspect of the issue, as without doing so, the Chronicle’s current stance in favor of Proposition 1 appears to be irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
Mike Franz
[Editor-in-Chief Kimberley Jones responds: Afraid you're misinformed, Mike. The Chronicle has maintained a strong stance against Proposition 1 – see our Endorsement – and in fact, in his April 29 "Public Notice" column, Publisher Nick Barbaro looked closely at ridesharing advocates' repeated claims that transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft "save lives." To echo statistician Matt Hersh's recent study: "[T]aking into account that DWI-related accidents were on the decline before Uber started operating in any meaningful way, there is no evidence of a correlation between TNCs and DWI-related accidents or DWI arrests in Austin."]
