A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that four out of five people surveyed do not always buckle their seat belts during short trips when using rideshare or taxi services.
Based on those statistics, Uber developed a ‘proactive seat belt alert’ to remind riders to buckle up before the start of their trip.
“Buckling up is one of the most effective ways to help keep yourself and others in the vehicle safe in a crash. By leveraging technology to remind riders to buckle up, we hope to increase seat belt use and potentially save lives,” said Kristin Smith, Uber’s Head of Global Road Safety Policy.
Once the trip begins, an audio alert will come from the driver’s phone and will be followed by a push notification to the rider’s device. The notifications are to educate the riders that safety should come first, the importance of the seat belt, and to utilize the seat belt.
“People are less likely to wear a seat belt in the back seat, particularly in ride-hailing vehicles, even though the simple act of buckling up can save your life in the event of a crash,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “We’re pleased Uber has taken this proactive step to encourage riders to buckle up, so everyone arrives safely at their destination.”
Riders will receive the push notification at the start of their next five trips and then periodically thereafter.
