Monday, 21 November 2022 20:20

Uber redoubles its commitment to road safety in El Salvador

Written by Evelyn Alas

As part of the Moves event, a project of the Asociación Ohana503 that seeks to save lives on roads, educating and raising awareness about the importance of mobility and road safety, the Uber app reiterated its commitment to promoting safer streets, with the implementation of two new features that will soon be available in El Salvador: users will receive an alert when they have to get out of the vehicle near a bike lane and will seek to prevent distractions for delivery partners on bicycles when making a delivery.

"From day one safety has been a central part of Uber's DNA. Road safety is a global public health issue that requires everyone's collaboration and as part of our commitment, we continuously take proactive measures in this regard in the Uber and Uber Eats applications, both in technology development and promoting actions that help prioritize making the road safer for everyone", said Manuela Bedoya, Safety Communications manager for the Andean region, Central America and the Caribbean.

In the coming days, users of the Uber app in El Salvador will start receiving an alert when their destination is near a bicycle path to remind them to check that there is no cyclist passing by before opening the vehicle door.

Additionally, and with the aim of preventing distractions in the journeys of delivery partners on bicycles, the Uber Eats app will suspend the use of chat between user and delivery partner when the latter is making a trip. So when attempting to use the chat, the app will send a reminder to the delivery partner and pause any messages from the user, also informing the user that communication will not be sent while the delivery partner is en route.

"Good road safety is fundamental to the Uber app. We will continue working to increase good practices and will continue to develop features that promote safety for all of us who share the streets", commented Bedoya.

In addition to the new tools, the Uber app and Uber Eats have the following tools in favor of road safety in El Salvador:

  • Driving hour limits: a feature that requests driver-partners to disconnect for six hours at a time from the app after a total of twelve hours of driving time with the Uber app. This helps prevent drowsiness and fatigue.
  • Bike/Motorcycle Safety Checklist: Before a delivery partner begins making deliveries with the app, they will be asked to review an interactive safety checklist. This serves as a reminder to take necessary precautions, such as checking tires, brakes and gears, wearing safety equipment and following traffic rules.
  • Helmet check: the helmet detection feature helps confirm that delivery partners using motorcycles and making deliveries on bicycles are wearing helmets before they can use the Uber app through taking a selfie.
  • RideCheck (long stop detection): by making use of GPS technology, it is possible to detect atypical situations such as a long stop on the road.

If this happens, the Uber and Uber Eats applications can display in the application of the driver and user partner, or in the case of the delivery partner, a screen with quick access to support options and safety tools, such as the button to call 911, or report a road accident.

It is important to mention that all trips and deliveries made through the Uber and Uber Eats app in El Salvador, have ASESUISA insurance, which has personal accident and liability coverage, which is activated from the moment the driver/delivery partner accepts a trip/delivery and ends when the last person gets out of the vehicle or when the food is delivered.