Online shopping and delivery services have made our lives more convenient than ever. With just a few taps on your phone, you can order just about anything delivered to your door, from clothes and electronics to groceries and every type of cuisine from nearby restaurants. These services are in high demand, allowing people to save time while getting everything they need delivered to their homes of auto accidents in California.
However, the downside of this boom is that in addition to more delivery trucks on the road due to e-commerce, you’ve also got independent contractors trying to make extra money shuttling groceries and takeout across the state. While some of these accidents are caused by commercial trucks transporting packages to consumers, others are caused by people driving their everyday vehicles.
Why Delivery Drivers Are More Likely to Cause Accidents
Whether working for Amazon, Instacart, Uber Eats, or another delivery service, delivery drivers have unique challenges to overcome as they make their deliveries. These factors make them far more likely to cause car crashes auto accidents in California.
Fulfilling Deadlines and Time Pressures
Delivery auto accidents are more likely to happen when drivers feel rushed. They may need to meet a tight deadline, and with heavy traffic or other obstacles, they may try to make their deliveries by speeding, tailgating, or making other unsafe maneuvers.
Lack of Familiarity with the Area
Today’s delivery drivers don’t always have the same route, day in and day out, like postal workers. This means they might be unfamiliar with where they are going when trying to navigate unknown streets. Even though GPS is incredibly helpful, it can still be a distraction. Drivers may stop suddenly or lurch forward as they look for the right address, which increases the risk of crashes.
Distractions
As mentioned, delivery drivers will usually rely on GPS for directions, which can lead to them causing an accident. They may also be texting while driving to alert them of pickups or drop-offs, which can be dangerous.
Blind Spots and Large Vehicles
Drivers who operate larger commercial delivery vehicles or vans with bigger blind spots will also need to allow for more braking distance. The more weight the vehicle is carrying, the longer the distance required to stop safely. Additionally, when trucks or vans head into residential areas, they may struggle to navigate around street-parked cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, or children at play auto accidents in California.
Fatigue
Delivery drivers may work long hours, especially during the holidays, which results in fatigue. Drivers trying to make extra cash delivering food around town may be behind the wheel for long stretches. Fatigued drivers have slower reaction times, similar to those who are intoxicated, and that plays a role in delivery accidents or auto accidents in California.
Traffic
There are more delivery drivers and drivers of all kinds now on the road, and they all create an increase in traffic. The more traffic there is in an area, the greater the risks of car accidents.
Additionally, it is possible for a mix of these factors to overlap, such as when a driver doesn’t know the neighborhood. They may rush to the next stop to make up time and cause a crash while speeding or get careless and forget to check their blind spots before changing lanes.
Who Is Liable in a California Delivery Auto Accident?
Liability in these types of crashes will always depend on the unique factors in the case as well as who was involved. There will generally be multiple liable parties, such as the driver, the delivery company, or a parent company. You can seek compensation from any party who behaved negligently and contributed to the accident.
Some car accident cases may hold the employer liable if one of its drivers caused the crash during the course of performing their job duties. If you were in a crash with a commercial van or truck operated by FedEx or UPS, this would be the likely scenario. However, now that there are companies that employ independent contractors, such as Amazon or all those food delivery options, it can be trickier to hold the parent company liable.
If you suffered injuries in an accident with an Uber Eats driver or another similar entity, then you will most certainly want to speak with an Irvine auto accident attorney. Legal representation is a smart move as these companies will hide behind their litigation teams while throwing their contractors under the proverbial bus to protect their profits.
