According to Forbes reporting, widespread quarantine mandates have accelerated the growth of an online food delivery industry, which is set to grow to a $200 billion behemoth by 2025. This growth may generally mean more vehicles on the road, more drivers dashing to drop off one order and pick up the next, and more drivers operating with a “time is money” frame of mind.
These developments may generally produce greater overall danger on roadways. You or a loved one might have suffered the consequences of a careless food delivery driver in Haymarket. You could collect compensation to cover your losses.
A Haymarket food order delivery car accident lawyer will pursue the coverage that you deserve. Call the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC today at (571) 229-1800 for a free consultation.
The Growing Threat Caused by Food Deliveries
The increasing demand for online food deliveries may ultimately affect accidents similar to that seen with rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. MIT Technology Review cites findings that the increased popularity of rideshare services has correlated with a rise in traffic deaths by as many as 1,100 per year.
These findings mirror concerns that may arise with respect to online delivery services such as DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats, which exist parallel to delivery drivers working for specific businesses. Some of the issues that may come from an increase in online delivery drivers include:
More Rideshare Drivers Means Greater Traffic Congestion
The findings published by MIT Technology Review found that traffic congestion may be due in large part to drivers who are not on their way to pick up or drop food off but are instead awaiting the assignment of an order. This may lead to:
- Drivers operating their vehicles in an aimless fashion
- Drivers paying undue attention to their food delivery application while operating their vehicle
- A greater number of opportunities for accidents to occur than if those drivers were not on the road
- A greater number of total vehicles on the road
Another car on the road is one more vehicle that could strike you or a loved one’s vehicle. For this reason, greater traffic congestion caused by online delivery drivers may be considered a danger.
Rideshare Drivers Might Be More Concerned with Speed than Safety
Though some may tell you otherwise, food delivery drivers’ primary motive might generally be to make money. The more deliveries drivers make, the greater their earning capacity, which poses an inherent danger where drivers are incentivized to be quick in their pickups and deliveries.
Whenever speed is incentivized, there is a risk that safety will fall by the wayside, or at least be given less attention than it deserves.
There Might Be More Fatigued Drivers on the Road
There may be flexibility in terms of how long a delivery driver works. However, if a delivery driver accounts for a substantial portion of a person’s income, they might drive long hours. This can lead to driver fatigue, loss of concentration, and many opportunities for accidents as a result.
Food delivery drivers are fulfilling a valuable service for people who may not have the choice of dining out. This may include consumers ordering food from 24-hour restaurants in the middle of the night when they do not feel comfortable venturing out into the dark or a family with young children that do not want to risk getting sick.
However, delivery drivers who do not remain careful at all times when they are on the job may end up causing an accident. If you are the victim of a delivery driver who caused your accident, then a Haymarket food order delivery car accident lawyer will fight for you.
Call the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC today at (571) 229-1800 for more information about how we may help you or a loved one after an accident in Haymarket.
What You Should Know About the Limitations of Delivery Driver Insurance
A food delivery driver’s insurance coverage may vary depending on the business they work for or the service with which they have a contract. There are, however, some clear holes in coverage for drivers of some of the major online food delivery services.
Take Postmates, for example. Its policy notes that drivers are only covered for accidents that they cause while on an active delivery. This means that Postmates’ insurance policies, which may generally provide more coverage than a driver’s personal insurance, may not apply if:
- They forgot to hit “Accept” on their driver app before driving to pick up food, striking your vehicle on the way
- They were working as a Postmates contractor at the time of your accident but were not completing an active delivery
- There was some technical problem with the Postmates app, which may make their status unclear at the time of your accident
DoorDash has a similar “active delivery only” clause governing their offer of insurance coverage to drivers. Whether or not you are entitled to the coverage provided by a food delivery service, you may face various issues during the insurance claims process.
A lawyer will see your claim through to completion. They will also help you bring and complete a lawsuit if an insurance claim cannot provide you fair compensation. After an accident involving a food delivery driver, you may be deserving of compensation for:
- Medical costs originating from your accident
- Lost income that results from your accident with a delivery driver
- “Pain and suffering” and inconvenience (depending on the way that you pursue compensation)
- Damage to your vehicle
Your circumstances may entitle you to compensation beyond the losses listed here, including if you have lost a loved one because of a food order delivery accident in Haymarket.
Haymarket Food Order Delivery Accident Lawyer Near Me 571-229-1800
Call the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC Today to Speak to a Team Representative
There may be established methods for dealing with accidents involving a food delivery driver. Your Haymarket food order delivery car accident lawyer from our team will be familiar with those methods. Call the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC today at (571) 229-1800 for a free consultation.
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