Uber plans to use driver data to improve road safety standards

Uber is planning to use driver data from its app to identify poor driving and help improve standards behind the wheel.

Using a combination of reports from passengers and analysis of data, drivers found to have been driving unsafely are to be sent in-app reminders and educational material.

From today, any reports from a passenger who felt that their driver was driving too quickly will be reviewed by Uber, and if the telematics data indicates that they were, Uber will send educational materials to the driver.

These notifications will contain educational information on the importance of road rules, and the kinds of distractions they should avoid. This new feature is separate to Uber’s policy of removing a driver if they receive repeated reports of poor, unsafe, or distracted driving while using the app.

Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe at Uber, said: “When it comes to safety, our work is never done. That’s why our team is constantly looking for new ways to make the best use of our industry-leading technology. While these alerts are simple, it’s often the small reminders that drive the biggest changes in behaviour.”

The new measures follow earlier Uber initiatives including Real Time ID checks for drivers, which require drivers to submit a selfie before logging into the app for approval, and Uber’s InstaDoc insurance system, which allows real-time checks of driver insurance documents and has uncovered previously unknown examples of fraud.

Uber also has a system called RideCheck, which uses GPS data to track whether a trip has stopped for a long time and automatically checks in on the rider and driver.