Rideshare use among parents and their children

Abstract

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young children. Millions of ridesharing trips are taken each day, and use of these services is predicted to increase. Therefore, it is important to examine the safety of children in these vehicles. We conducted a survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (N = 2017). Of the total sample, 450 respondents reported being a parent or legal guardian of children below the age of 10. Of these, 307 or 68% had ever used ridesharing. Among those who had used ridesharing, a total of 253 or 82% reported using ridesharing with their children below the age of 10 years. Among this group, rideshare use was significantly higher among individuals with college education, and in higher income households. Given that the majority of U.S. states have legislation exempting rideshare vehicles from child restraint system law coverage, our finding of high rates of rideshare use among parents suggests that a large number of children could be at risk of injury due to a lack of appropriate restraint use.

What Are the Restraint Practices, Preferences, and Experiences When Australian Parents Travel with Their Children in a Rideshare Vehicle?

“…In addition, these participants were also: less likely to have a 'younger' youngest child, less likely to 'always' wear a seatbelt while travelling in their private motor vehicle, and less likely to 'always' restrain their child in an appropriate restraint while travelling in their personal motor vehicle. These findings are consistent with prior studies, where rideshare use was higher among more educated and affluent segments of the population [3,33].…”

“…Consistent with the findings of Owens and colleagues [6], the main reasons for not travelling in a rideshare vehicle were related to concerns regarding cost, driver safety, travelling with children, and convenience with rideshare vehicles. Similarly, Ehsani [3] recently highlighted that parents may find the price a barrier when ridesharing with children, thus reducing their use of such services. The additional costs can arise from ordering rideshare vehicles with company-provided child restraints [3]; or needing to order a larger vehicle to accommodate additional passengers [6].…”

“…Similarly, Ehsani [3] recently highlighted that parents may find the price a barrier when ridesharing with children, thus reducing their use of such services. The additional costs can arise from ordering rideshare vehicles with company-provided child restraints [3]; or needing to order a larger vehicle to accommodate additional passengers [6]. For example, Uber's car seat program in the United States allows passengers to request a child restraint [6] for a USD $10 surcharge [21].…”

“…2 Due to the small numbers of participants from the Northern Territory (n = 2), they were excluded from this comparison. 3 Due to the small numbers of children who identify as 'Other' (n = 2), they were excluded from the comparison.…”

“…These services have experienced a dramatic rise in popularity in Australia, and other industrialised countries over the past few years [1]. Given the global emphasis on safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transportation modes [2], the use of rideshare services is predicted to increase significantly [3]. For example, the proportion of Australians using the 'Uber' rideshare service across an average three-month period increased from 6.6 percent of the population in 2016 to 22.9 percent in 2019 [4].…”