Every year, people lose lives and livelihoods to vehicle collisions caused by impaired driving. But recently, one study showed how rideshare services may actually help reduce rates of impaired driving and fatal vehicle collisions. Earlier this year a research team at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) published a study that showed a strong correlation between the rise in popularity of rideshare services in the Houston area and the decrease in incidents of “motor vehicle-related trauma” (aka car accidents). The study found that for every 1,000 times someone used a rideshare app, those incidents dropped by a third. At the same time, the study also found that incidents of impaired driving dropped after 2014 (when Uber first started operating in the Houston area), from an average of 22.5 daily convictions to 19 daily convictions. Could Ridesharing Help Prevent Drunk Driving? ONE STUDY SEEMS TO INDICATE SO
incidence of impaired driving and motor vehicle collisions because they provided young people with an alternative to driving under the influence.
Some of the other findings from the study seem to support Dr. Connor’s conclusion. For example, the drivers under the age of 30 (who are more likely to drive drunk than other age groups) saw the biggest decrease in motor vehicle-related trauma, with the incidence rate going down almost 39%. At the same time, on Friday and Saturday nights between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., when motor vehicle collisions are most likely to happen (and when people are most likely to be out drinking), incidence rates dropped 24%. While this study is certainly intriguing and paints a hopeful picture for how ridesharing might decrease drunk driving accidents, it will probably only solve the problem part way. We can all be a part of the solution when we make smart decisions about when we are and aren’t okay to drive. If you ever find yourself in an accident involving drunk driving, call Shuttlesworth Law Firm at (205) 322-1411 for any help you need moving forward.
According to Dr. Christopher Connor, who was the lead author for the study, the biggest takeaway from their findings was that ridesharing decreased
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When Skyscrapers Sailed the Open Seas
Sept. 3 is Skyscraper Day. Go ahead and look it up; it’s real! It’s a day to admire the world’s tallest buildings for the feats of engineering that they are. But did you know that the word “skyscraper” existed long before the buildings themselves did? Before builders learned how to use steel to build cities up instead of out, the word skyscraper was used to describe a number of objects, all of which, admittedly, were rather tall. Skyscraper was originally a nautical term for the small triangular sail set above the skysail. So, the first skyscrapers may have actually been on the high seas, rather than in urban centers! Other things referred to as skyscrapers before solely being a term for buildings included a very tall man, a high standing horse, a rider on an old- timey high cycle, and a tall hat or bonnet.
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