Author: Dave Abels

Uber has been making waves in the transportation industry across the country, and many in the Phoenix area have enjoyed its services as of late. Based on a network of independent drivers who answer requests of consumers, Uber allows passengers to get anywhere they want within a designated service area without some of the restrictions of other forms of transit. Importantly, compared to other options, Uber is often less expensive and more responsive to the users, meaning that its popularity is soaring right now.

This week, to make itself even more attractive, Uber announced on its website that it was lowering its fees in more than 100 US and Canadian markets. In some areas, using Uber in January with these lowered fees may make it cheaper to grab a ride with Uber than to pay for your own gas, endure the wear and tear on your personal vehicle, and pay for parking.

The price cut is a limited time discount in most cities and is designed to combat the “winter slump,” according to a statement on Uber’s website. As consumers do less traveling after the holidays, the demand for rideshares like Uber decreases and the business experiences lower revenues as a result. These price drops are designed to make travel more appealing and therefore to increase the traffic that Uber experiences in its markets.

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Phoenix is a sprawling area with numerous surrounding cities rounding out the Valley of the Sun. With all that space comes the need to drive and that means that countless residents are on the streets every day of the year. All of those vehicles will end up parking somewhere, at some time, so it is a good thing that many of Phoenix’s stores, restaurants, and shops have parking lots.

Parking lots are a necessary part of driving in the area but unfortunately, there are some negatives associated with these lots. The biggest safety issue is the prevalence of parking lot accidents, a problem that shows itself every week in Arizona and that causes substantial economic harm. Parking lot crashes can happen between multiple cars, between a car and a fixed object like a pole, or a car and a pedestrian. All of these situations can be serious and can lead to injuries on the part of the victims involved.

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Collisions. Crashes. Accidents. No matter what you call them, you should be aware of their risks if you drive in the Phoenix area. With our swelling population, sprawling Valley, and stop-and-go traffic conditions, a typical driver in the area is unlikely to go many days in a row without witnessing the fallout from a car accident. If you are lucky, you will not be a victim of a crash and will only experience slowed driving times or congestion due to these accidents. If you are unlucky, you may suffer from the actions of another driver and may sustain personal injuries as a result of a collision.

Experts agree that distraction is the leading cause of car accidents across the nation and the Phoenix area is no exception. Eliminating distraction among drivers would prevent thousands of accidents, eliminate hundreds of injuries, and save many lives in Arizona alone. Most motorists agree that distracted driving is a problem but fewer appreciate just how often they are distracted behind the wheel, creating an issue where a typical driver engages in activities she would describe as unsafe if another person drove in that manner.

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To many people in Phoenix, it is comforting to know that they drive a new, top-of-the line vehicle with all the safety features one can imagine. After all, the better the technology inside a car, the more likely they are to avoid a car accident – or so they like to believe. In truth, the presence or absence of safety devices and advanced technology is not likely to be the sole factor in whether a collision takes place. Instead, it is usually the contentious or negligent conduct of a motorist that determines the likelihood of a collision, and not technology on its own.

This is true even where technology seems to take complete control over a routine driving task. Currently, a number of vehicles offer park assist technology as a standard or an optional feature on newer cars and some that have been manufactured in the last decade. This type of technology allows a driver to parallel park her vehicle without controlling the car. Instead, when the feature is activated, a series of sensors around the front, rear, and side of the vehicle will turn on and will detect how far a vehicle is from other obstacles, including other parked cars. The vehicle will then back up as necessary and move into a parking space by coordinating the view from the sensors with the car’s steering capabilities and gas and brake pedals.

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When most people hear “Phoenix,” they think of our brutally hot summers or our desert-like dryness. But if you have stepped outside this morning, you know that there is another side of Phoenix that can show itself at this time of year. Currently, Phoenix and many of the surrounding areas are seeing temperatures in the low to mid 30s, causing a freeze warning for all of the metro Phoenix area and much of the rest of Arizona.

Fortunately, precipitation is not expected this morning while temperatures remain low so the chances of icy roads are limited. However, officials have warned that the presence of freezing temperatures may cause unprotected pipes to burst, which in turn could lead to running or standing water on roadways. If this happens, ice is a possibility and it may lead to a very real risk of car accidents.

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