Gas-Friendly Doesn't Mean Pedestrian-Friendly

Utah has an economy known for small business success. Uber, while not located in Utah, has helped many taxi drivers in San Francisco find passengers. This company has been met with great success in the last few years. Recently because of a wrongful death that occurred, the company has been making headlines for different reasons.

Sofia Liu and her mom and brother were using a crosswalk on New Year’s Eve when they were hit by a taxi. Sofia died that night and her family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Uber. The driver of the taxi was using Uber at the time of the accident and it caused him to be unaware of the pedestrians.

Although the terms of the lawsuit were kept confidential, the Liu family was greatly impacted by this accident and had a right to seek legal compensation. The resolution and amount of damages that was paid was kept secret from the public. The lawsuit was not about the money necessarily but it does shine a bright light on cell phone use while driving.

Uber provides many people with rides, which frees up the roads and in the end saves a lot of gas for San Francisco and other cities in Utah and around the world. With international success in major cities drivers who use Uber and other apps should be aware of their surroundings and drive with care.

Many states including Utah have passed strict legislation against cell phone use in a car. Wrongful death is just one of the consequences that can occur from distracted drivers. Fines and other penalties seem to have had small success but struggle to create real public reform. Unless trends change the tragedy the Liu family experienced may become more and more commonplace.

While cell phone banning has yet to occur in many countries around the world, mobile phone use has increased. Uber for example, is used in 57 countries where wrongful death such as that of Sofia could easily occur. With legislation lacking the chances of this happening again are greatly increased as well.

Cell phones can be the greatest asset mankind has known but they can also be a great bane when not used correctly and safely. Users should use their phones in a safe, hands-free way to make sure that safety is put first, where it should be. This will help save lives as well as gas.