The News Wheel
No Comments

New Uber App Feature Could Track Erratic Driving

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page
Uber Ride

Uber can now track erratic drivers with the new app feature it is testing

No one likes a driver that drives with two feet (unless that person is driving a manual), especially when it’s someone you’re paying to take you from Point A to Point B. To make sure its customers get the best drivers—and the smoothest rides—possible, Uber has decided to pilot test a new app feature throughout the United States that will track Uber drivers’ habits.

This app feature will measure navigation, how the car swerves, and how it accelerates so drivers can have in-app reports on how they compare to other Uber drivers. This feedback will help Uber build a real-time alert system to battle against erratic or unsafe drivers, while also allowing the ride-sharing giant to build on its research on how autonomous vehicles should act while out on the road.

Along with tracking erratic driving behaviors, this new feature will also send Uber drivers speeding alerts while they are driving on the highway. While this new feature is a great way to monitor their drivers, it will also allow Uber to fact-check bad ratings from passengers. If a driver is accused of speeding and braking in a jerky manner, then Uber can look at the data collected on the app to determine if this is the case.

Uber isn’t planning on punishing erratic drivers, but the company does hope this new feature will help Uber drivers become better since they will know they are being watched. This app will also track how much the phone itself moves, determining whether or not an Uber driver uses a phone mount or merely holds the phone or rests it in their lap. If the app logs too much phone movement, then the Uber driver will be asked to purchase a phone mount on the dashboard to reduce the risk of distracted driving.

News Source: Buzzfeed