The Effect of Ridesharing Services on Drunk Driving
Abstract
Drunk driving is a significant problem in today’s society, and the recent development of ridesharing services, like Uber, offer a new way to avoid driving under the influence. In this paper, I examine whether the presence of Uber has caused a reduction in the number of DUI violations per month in nine large American cities. I found significant evidence that uberX, the most popular and affordable form of Uber, causes a 26% reduction in DUIs in the month the service is launched. The results suggest that this effect fades quickly, although the estimates after the first month are imprecise and statistically insignificant. I suggest that a future study using the same model as this paper with a larger pool of available data would reach clearer conclusions about the overall long-term effect of ridesharing services on the number of DUI violations.
Citation
Kalmbach, Zachary John (2015). The Effect of Ridesharing Services on Drunk Driving. Honors and Undergraduate Research. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /154487.