Ride-hail may improve general road safety by providing an alternative to drivers who would otherwise drive inebriated. A study from Great Britain found that the introduction of Uber was associated with a nine percent decrease in severe traffic-related injuries, which the authors hypothesized resulted from fewer drunk-driving trips [1]. Dills and Mulholland (2018) similarly found a decrease in drunk driving incidents, fatal car crashes, and arrests for assault and disorderly conduct with the introduction of Uber [2].

Ride-hail services can also provide an alternative travel mode for users who feel safer taking ride-hail trips than public transit [3]. However, safety concerns can also discourage people from using ride-hail services, particularly women [4].

Relative to taxis, a study in Chicago found that ride-hail trips may be more likely to result in minor injury crashes, though equally likely to result in severe crashes [5]. The authors attributed these crash differences to three potential factors: 1) drivers may be more distracted by the ride-hail app that may abruptly change routes for new passengers, 2) taxi drivers may have more experience than semi-professional ride-hail drivers, and 3) taxi driver regulations may encourage safer driving, such as limited overtime [5]. Job insecurity may explain riskier behavior on the part of ride-hail drivers; Lefcoe et al (2023) found that ride-hail drivers juggling multiple jobs engage in riskier driving behavior than full-time ride-hail and taxi drivers [6].