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Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

economist.com

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Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#291

Post by kyleblarson »

metafunctor wrote: post #92
jhpaul wrote: post #65

Based on personal experiences this isn't surprising. When I was in college in a small town in the late 00's, many friends and acquaintances would drive across town after heavy drinking. 10-15 minutes, straight roads, little traffic. Other than not going out, or not getting home, you didn't have many options. It was a hour long walk or a $20-40 cab ride, if you could get one. I was recently back in town for a wedding…

It has always amazed me how casually people drink and drive in some countries; the US especially springs to mind. Over here, drinking and driving is an extremely shameful and embarrassing thing to do. I would say it's on par with hitting a child. You just don't do it, not to save 20 bucks, or to save you from walking an hour.

Up until very recently it was still legal to drink WHILE driving in Montana: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700061870/No-more-Montana...

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#292

Post by irishloop »

LoonyBalloony wrote: post #289

If society really cared about drunk driving, there would be a free bus outside of every bar at bar close. We can do it for kids going to school, we can do it for adults going home. But they don't care, they just want the money and power (unconstitutional DUI check points) involved in the DUI process.

Bus riding has a social stigma outside of the very largest cities. Also, people in the US love complaining about taxes, and you know what costs money? Buses.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#293

Post by vannevar »

adventured wrote: post #68
vannevar wrote: post #43

Proving another benefit of subsidized public transportation. In Uber's case, low-cost rides subsidized by its investors.

Would you mind showing me their financials in the US market, so we can see the extent of the subsidization across different cities? I would like to see the numbers that you derived your claim from in regards to Uber's operations in the US.

Uber's history of subsidies is well-known:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/07/02/ubers-newe... (2014)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/23... (2016)

https://qz.com/940605/is-the-era-of-cheap-uber-rides-over/ (2017)

But I don't have a breakdown per-market.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#294

Post by mighty_warrior »

iamatworknow wrote: post #271
mighty_warrior wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey hows Potsdam? Sounds like it hasn't changed in the decade since I was there. Not that I expected it to.

Hahahaha, was it that obvious? I grew up around here and graduated from one of the four schools (gotta stay a little anonymous) in 2009. I'm not sure why I'm still here, really.

It was a little obvious but probably only for someone who lived there.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#295

Post by EliRivers »

zenogais wrote: post #286
skrebbel wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Makes sense, but if you know that your only way back home is your car and you still pop the cork, you're acting like a bad person in my book ("hitting a child" level indeed).

That's fine, but you're not going to change social mores overnight (perhaps ever). The fact that ride sharing apps are helping is a huge plus in my book.

As a single datapoint, it took about fifty years in the UK.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#296

Post by hectorr »

ericfrederich wrote: post #211

Let's file this one under "duh" It's not ride-hailing apps themselves. Has nothing to do with the fact that it's someone else's car or that you use an app instead of a phone number to order it. It's the fact that you can get home now for $10 only waiting 5 minutes from the time you decided you want to leave.... compared to paying $60 and waiting an hour.

I think it has a lot to do with the app. It's more about getting out than getting home. Sure, taxis are usually available if you're out in a town, but anyone who's ever tried to call one to pick them up from home on short notice is often going to be annoyed with the quality of dispatcher service. Even if the dispatcher is great and the taxi arrives quickly, anyone who has had a bad experience before will be anxious given the lack of reliable information. The ETA with a map is a huge factor in improving the experience.

I also wouldn't overlook the novelty factor in the idea gaining traction. It took a mundane process (calling a dispatcher) and made it sleek, hip, and fun. Especially in the early days, when you'd meet a lot of diverse drivers, not just professionals. This made a huge difference in making Uber a 'thing', not just a marginally improved commodity service.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#297

Post by Broken_Hippo »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #276
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to think the same - I've lived in plenty of places with no public transportation. No choice, I'd say, bemoaning the lack of decent public transport. But then I was in a similar situation off in a small town in Norway. I was at a 80th birthday party in a small town. Most of the attendees were drunk. Everyone already knew someone to take them home, and organized themselves accordingly, some waiting a bit for the…

Thinking? I'm not thinking it is ok! No no, I'm just saying why people are idiotic enough to do this. The BAC level now for Utah is .05. It isn't like all of the US states are slouching. Of course, Utah is different from the deep south.

Sorry for that confusion. I quite understood and took it as a "collective thought", for lack of better words. I've heard the excuse from folks quite often and always thought it was a bit ridiculous, especially with the sideline, "but it isn't good to drink alone!". My personal solution was better public transport.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#298

Post by Broken_Hippo »

darkcube wrote: post #265
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was one of those things my Norwegian spouse made sure I knew beforehand. It is .02 or something like that, and I believe it is measured slightly differently. He's also said that I can get penalized - through loss of license and other means - just by being a sober passenger with a drunk driver. It benefits me to make sure the other person is sober.

can a drunk passenger of a drunk driver be penalized as well?

That I'm not sure of, but I don't think so. Assumedly, the sober person is supposed to have the wherewithal to understand the danger the drunk driver is putting themselves and others. On the other hand, the drunk passenger might well be more drunk than the driver and be too impaired to make that judgement.

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#299

Post by [deleted] »

ryan606 wrote: post #258

I seem to recall a Freakonomics chapter or podcast episode that discussed drunk driving vs. walking home drunk, and concluded that walking home drunk was even more dangerous than driving home drunk. Either choice is much worse than ride-sharing or cabbing or public transit, obviously.

[deleted]

Re: Ride-hailing apps may help to curb drunk driving

#300

Post by nommm-nommm »

adventured wrote: post #68
vannevar wrote: post #43

Proving another benefit of subsidized public transportation. In Uber's case, low-cost rides subsidized by its investors.

Would you mind showing me their financials in the US market, so we can see the extent of the subsidization across different cities? I would like to see the numbers that you derived your claim from in regards to Uber's operations in the US.

If you Google "user is losing money" there's a whole crap ton of results. Here's one - https://news.vice.com/story/uber-is-losing-money

There was a really detailed breakdown posted somewhere on HN a while ago but I don't have it offhand.

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