More Drivers, More Distraction
The gig economy has changed the way Americans work — and the way our roads look. Millions of drivers now deliver food, groceries, and packages, making gig work one of the fastest-growing labor forces in the country. In 2024, the U.S. food delivery market alone reached $353.3 billion, with grocery delivery responsible for $257 billion of that figure.
But while this sector generates enormous profits, it also produces a troubling side effect: an alarming spike in distracted driving accidents. With 1.5 million traditional delivery drivers already on U.S. streets and an additional 870,000 gig drivers in California alone, traffic has become more congested — and far more dangerous.
Why Distracted Driving Is So Widespread
Distraction is now a near-universal problem:
- 93% of drivers admit to losing focus behind the wheel.
- 76% say personal devices are their biggest distraction.
- 31% of all reported crashes involve inattention, equal to 1.7 million collisions every year.
A Samsara survey of 1,500 professional drivers showed just how embedded the problem has become:
- 74% actively use phones for work tasks while driving.
- 79% have experienced a near-miss from distraction.
- 60% changed driving habits after reviewing dashcam footage of themselves distracted.
Drivers themselves suggest the fix is simple: fewer in-app communications, better routing technology, and more targeted training. 95% report that structured training reduces risky behavior.
J&Y Law’s Yosi Yahoudai warns:
“When drivers are forced to juggle apps, deadlines, and GPS while tired, it’s a recipe for disaster. We cannot let profit outrun safety.”
His co-founder Jason Javaheri adds:
“We’ve normalized multitasking behind the wheel. That’s not sustainable. Companies must put human beings first.”
Amazon’s Delivery Empire and Its Safety Shortcomings
No company illustrates the problem more clearly than Amazon. The retail giant uses more third-party carriers than Costco, Target, and Walmart combined. With that scale comes responsibility — but data suggests Amazon has fallen short:
- 60+ fatal crashes tied to Amazon contractors in five years.
- Carriers linked to Amazon showing unsafe driving and poor maintenance violations.
- Some contractors with “out of service” rates up to 4x higher than the national average.
- CBS found Amazon’s unsafe driving rate was 89% higher than competitors.
Amazon points to its branded delivery vans, which now use monitoring tech that reduced unsafe behaviors by 62%. Still, critics argue that rapid expansion without sufficient oversight remains the core safety gap.
Fatigue: The Silent Risk Factor
Gig drivers don’t just face distraction — they face exhaustion. Longer hours and denser shifts are common across platforms:
- Amazon Flex drivers’ hours jumped 20.4% in 2024.
- Lyft drivers saw fewer hours but more trips per shift.
- Uber drivers worked slightly longer while earning less.
- Parcel delivery drivers’ workload spiked 55.5% in a single year.
The results are predictable: over one-third of gig drivers report being in a work-related crash, and 25% have suffered injuries from long shifts, according to Human Rights Watch.
Rideshare Accident Trends
Rideshare companies face the same risks — and their crash rates tell the story:
- Rideshare vehicles make up 1.5% of U.S. collisions annually.
- 66% of those crashes involve distraction.
- Fatigue-related accident risk is 2.5x higher for rideshare drivers than others.
- Between 2019 and 2022, rideshare crashes rose 15%, with 10% of U.S. traffic deaths tied to these vehicles.
Where Distraction Is Worst
Most distracted states: Arizona, New Jersey, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Massachusetts.
Least distracted states: Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, West Virginia, Maine, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky, Wisconsin.
Top states for distracted driving deaths (2023):
- Texas (366)
- Florida (253)
- Louisiana (227)
- New Jersey (165)
- New Mexico (149)
The Gig Economy’s Economic Impact
Despite the risks, gig work is here to stay. In California, gig platforms contribute $38 billion annually, with 46% of residents earning income from app-based work. Nationwide, 7.3 million workers complete 4.3 billion app-based transactions, creating a $212 billion economic impact.
This financial footprint ensures gig driving will only grow. That makes it even more urgent to address distraction before fatalities rise further.
The Road Ahead: Fixing a Systemic Safety Crisis
Experts agree on what needs to happen:
- Require affordable safety tech in all delivery vans.
- Streamline apps to reduce cognitive overload.
- Limit excessively long shifts.
- Hold corporations legally accountable for contractor oversight.
As Yosi Yahoudai emphasizes:
“This is about billion-dollar companies cutting corners. If they can afford next-day shipping, they can afford to protect lives.”
Jason Javaheri concludes:
“This is leadership failure, not driver failure. True leaders act before lives are lost, not after.”
