Working Paper: NBER ID: w26783
Authors: John M. Barrios; Yael Hochberg; Hanyi Yi
Abstract: We examine the effect of the introduction of ridehailing in U.S. cities on fatal traffic accidents. The arrival of ridehailing is associated with an increase of approximately 3% in the number of fatalities and fatal accidents, for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians. The effects persist when controlling for proxies for smartphone adoption patterns. Consistent with ridehailing increasing congestion and road usage, we find that introduction is associated with an increase in arterial vehicle miles traveled, excess gas consumption, and annual hours of delay in traffic. On the extensive margin, ridehailing’s arrival is also associated with an increase in new car registrations. These effects are higher in cities with prior higher use of public transportation and carpools, consistent with a substitution effect, and in larger cities. These effects persist over time. Back-of-the-envelope estimates of the annual cost in human lives range from $5.33B to $13.24B.
Keywords: ridehailing; traffic fatalities; public transportation; urban economics
JEL Codes: I00; O3; R4
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | number of traffic fatalities (R48) |
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | vehicle miles traveled (VMT) (R48) |
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | excess fuel consumption (L91) |
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | annual hours of traffic delay (R41) |
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | pedestrian fatalities (R41) |
| introduction of ridehailing services (R48) | traffic congestion (L91) |
| higher public transportation usage (L91) | impact of ridehailing services (R41) |
| larger metropolitan areas (R12) | impact of ridehailing services (R41) |
| smartphone usage (L96) | traffic fatalities (R48) |