I don’t drive so perhaps I shouldn’t be judging, but I’ve got to tell you that as a passenger, the fact that Uber feels it necessary to prevent its drivers from making left turns and remind them to watch for traffic at intersections is not at all comforting.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 22 percent of crashes involve a vehicle making a left turn at an intersection. Uber has a novel solution to this problem: fewer left turns.
Uber announced today that its in-app navigation system will now recommend fewer left turns in an effort to reduce crashes and make trips safer overall. The adjustments are expected to be “minor” with little impact on trip time, but the effect will hopefully make for a less stressful experience for drivers.Intersections also are proving troublesome for Uber drivers, so the company is adding a visual alert in the in-app navigation when drivers approach an intersection without a four-way stop. The alert will warn them to “watch for cross traffic,” for example.