Lawsuit Against Uber

Driverless cars merely shift liability from the driver to the manufacturer as every accident raises suspicion of a product defect. Faced with a new vein of product liability lawsuits, courts will apply the same principles they do now with semi-autonomous systems in airplanes and ships, but it won't be sufficient. For instance, so far courts haven't included software in manufacturing defect claims because nothing tangible is manufactured. The failure to warn issue is also problematic, because some embedded technology requires no operation but can malfunction if an owner modifies the vehicle.

Transportation of goods and people plays a huge role in globalization and self-driving cars have the power to impact transportation in a monumental way. Take Daimler’s Freightliner Inspiration for instance. This 18-wheel truck can transport goods without a driver (O 'Kane, S., 2015). Owners can wave goodbye to the cost of a driver’s salary, training, insurance, supervision, and more. This cost reduction will enable companies to lower their prices, thus attracting more international buyers. At the same time, however, this will also encourage more domestic sales. The amazing Elon Musk is a pioneer of transportation of all kinds. Between his spaceships at Space X, his design for the Hyperloop, an unbelievably fast intercity public transit vehicle, and his all-electric cars at Tesla Motors, Musk is reshaping the automotive landscape (Musk, E., 2015). Because Musk is a man

The Taco Bell Corporation, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., fell victim to a lawsuit on January 19, 2011, following a lawsuit filed by the Alabama firm, Beasley Allen (Roper, Samikkannu, & O’Rourke, 2011). Subsequent to receipt of the lawsuit, Taco Bell released full-page newspaper ads in local and national newspapers headlined, “Thank you for suing us” (Roper, Samikkannu, & O’Rourke, 2011). In addition, chief executive officer of Taco Bell, Greg Creed, called for a multi-million nationwide advertising campaign designed to combat the negative publicity arising from the lawsuit (Barclay, 2011).

In the article Uber drivers are employees, not contractors, Canadian lawsuit argues, Kristine Owram sheds light on this proposed Ontario class action lawsuit. This lawsuit was launched by Samfiru Tumarkin LLP against Uber technologies Inc. They are seeking $200 million in damages on behalf of all drivers working for Uber since 2012. The plaintiff argues that the drivers have been misclassified as contractors, and are therefore entitled to minimum wage, overtime pay, and vacation pay. They believe that “duties performed by the class members and the supervision and control imposed on the class members by Uber creates an employment relationship with Uber” (Owram, 2017). The defence (Uber) argues that the flexibility that corresponds with the

For product liability of the autonomous cars, a more workable approach involves placing liability on manufacturers for any unforeseen failures of the autonomous technology, while placing liability on “operators” for malfunctions that the operator is aware of due to the vehicle warning them that a failure may occur or that the vehicle needs to be checked. This approach is generally consistent with the current products liability regime regarding automobiles. In a scenario where an autonomous car is on autopilot and it is difficult to sue the driver/owner, then it may become a product liability claim against the manufacturer of the vehicle or a device that 's operating the vehicle. James Wliittle, assistant general counsel and chief claims counsel for the American Insurance Association asserts that, "We can foresee future legal changes or different facets of this. Product liability law is alive and well in the United States and has been for some time." According to a scenario in a recent Cèlent report, the full

The article I have decided to use is the Self Driving Car Article. This article is stating whether releasing self driving cars is a good thing. Tesla was released even though there was a brutal accident, causing a death of the driver in the other vehicle. I believe self driving cars should be released, but there definitely needs to be changes and upgrades from the Tesla to the car coming out in the future. Self Driving cars should be released because it would reduce the risk of injuries and deaths and it would help improve technology for the future.

Technology and progress have inherent risks associated with them. Developing a new technology requires funding,testing, and the ethical decisions of individuals before it becomes usable. Unfortunately, ethics and consumer interest often become clouded with the idea of the bottom line. Companies make less than ideal ethical choices about the inherent dangers of technology for reasons other than safety. Throughout history companies have made decisions that directly put lives at risk for the sake of their own bottom line. The organizational idea of putting the company before the consumer can be seen with Chevrolet's Corvair, NASA’s Challenger shuttle, and Uber’s self driving cars.

From a technology perspective, there are several hurdles companies must overcome before the general public is ready for mass consumption. Even though the likelihood of an accident is considered much lower for self-driving cars than human errors, a fatal crash involving Tesla autopilot received substantial media attention as it was viewed as a new risk. This highlights the question of whether the car manufacturers or drivers should be responsible for insuring the self-driving cars and if they will be accepted by the insurance industry.

Self driving cars have the potential to completely revolutionize the way public transportation continues in our society; many are for it and even more are against it. It is fair to say that this is a great invention and that in some cases it can serve as a safer way of transportation (only in certain situations) as well as make for a more dangerous one. Tesla is a worldwide known company and although the company did not invent driverless cars, they did most definitely perfect it. Having the most technologically advanced vehicle in the world that can predict accidents before they even happen, it is a safe bet to trust the Tesla autopilot feature. The majority of the population believe that it will be nothing but beneficial to our society and provide us with safer streets and highways. But there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to this new technology.

One of the biggest issues that Uber faces at the moment is the stack of lawsuits. Uber needs to adopt a zero-tolerance stance for violation of the anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, and anti-retaliation policies no matter the level or performance of the violator. Uber also needs to adopt a more thorough background check process. Uber has had a problem with its ethics recently. Companies such as Airbnb and Lyft have clear values which they try to model in their business activities daily. One way that Uber can address these concerns is by creating a good set of core values. To do this Uber will need to rewrite their core company values to “reflect more inclusive and positive behaviors”. Uber should work with an established and respected company

In recent months, there has been controversy surrounding the fairly new and popular concept of ride sharing companies . Primarily, ride-sharing companies are online-based networks that connect passengers with drivers that use their personal vehicles through a mobile platform. Some of the most popular ride-sharing companies include the well-known Uber, Lyft, and Wingz’s. The packleader of them all, Uber, has recently been challenged by the government, taxi companies, and their own drivers over legal matters. They have been accused of bending around labor laws and disregarding regulations around transportation for hire industry in many of the large US cities where they are present. In mid-2015, Uber has been involved in at least 173 different

The article “Uber’s New Goal: Flying Cars in Less Than a Decade” by Jamie Condliffe, appears in the MIT Technology Review. Uber has announced it wants to build an on-demand urban aviation system. The article explains how Uber is not content with upending the taxi industry and developing self-driving cars. Even though the idea seems a little outrageous, it seems that Uber is completely serious. The company has also recently published a statement that declares urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground. Another point to mention, Uber does not plan to build the cars. Instead, they hope to other companies to create them. To be fair, Uber realizes there are hurdles. In their

On a Sunday night, a woman named Elaine Herzberg was walking her bike across the street when she was hit and killed by an autonomous vehicle. While the SUV did have a driver behind the wheel, the car at the time was in self-driving mode as part of an experiment made by the company, Uber. The car was reportedly going 40 miles in a 35-mile zone and showed no signs of stopping, when it speeds toward the pedestrian. This is a tragic loss of life and while the car was still being tested, shows the dangerous consequences technology can have upon people. This is especially concerning since Uber’s overall goal is to have driverless cars drive people around, though it is clear that much more research must be conducted before reaching that point

I think Uber reputation definitely tarnished by the recent bad press. However, it does not seem to stop the millenniums from continue using their services. I came across an article about a generation of “sharing and not caring”. It said “Millenniums came of age during the Great Recession, and it is slow, grinding aftermath. Their habits were shaped by a bottoming-out of the housing market and the disappearance of easy credit. The generation with the highest-ever burden of student loan debt also saw a sharp contraction in wages.” (Davis O., 2015) The technology allowed more possession to live online, therefore, millenniums tend to drive less, and some don’t even own a car This may be one of the factors why uber remains popular despite

We live in a technology driven world, almost everyone own a smartphone today. Uber and its competitors are allowing us to use an app on our smartphone to call for a cab. When a rider request a ride, the app gives you an estimated time of when the driver will arrive. It also calculates the fare and take the money out of your account. Whoever came up with the Uber idea is genius. Uber is beneficial to both the riders and the drivers. Uber created jobs for a lot of individuals, also for people who has a job but want to make extra money can drive Uber. The riders get high quality service for a fair price. In addition, the Uber app is easy to use and to understand. Increasing the amount of cars on the road results in faster pickup time which is