Late-Night Rideshares Might Not Be as Safe as People Think, New Review Warns

Millions of Americans end their nights the same way — grab an Uber or Lyft, breathe a sigh of relief, and assume they’ve just made the safest decision available. But a new review from Vaziri Law Group suggests the reality may be far more complicated. The late-night hours when rideshares are most in demand are also when U.S. roads become significantly more dangerous.

Instead of eliminating risk, rideshares may simply be moving riders directly into a transportation environment already dominated by alcohol-impaired drivers, speeding vehicles, poor lighting, and fatigued motorists — and in many cities, increasing vehicle volume at exactly the wrong time.

 

The Danger Window: 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Federal crash records show a clear pattern. According to recent NHTSA data, 30% of drivers in fatal nighttime crashes were alcohol-impaired, compared with just 10% during the day. Nearly 70% of these nighttime crashes happened on dark roads, not brightly lit streets.

California’s detailed time-of-day fatality analysis revealed something even sharper: nearly half of all alcohol-impaired fatal crashes occurred between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., with the most dangerous moment typically just after midnight on weekends.

In other words, the hours when rideshare requests surge are the same hours when fatal crash risk peaks.

 

Empty Roads, Higher Speeds — and Higher Severity

Many late-night riders assume emptier roads are safer. The data suggests the opposite.
When streets clear, speeds rise. When speeds rise, crash severity skyrockets.

Weekend nightlife districts — places packed with pedestrians, cyclists, curbside pickups, and moving traffic — see some of the most serious collisions. Even sober passengers riding responsibly are surrounded by impaired drivers, reduced visibility, and faster vehicles.

 

Fatigue Quietly Intensifies the Problem

Alcohol isn’t the only threat after dark.

Federal estimates link 600–700 deaths per year to drowsy driving, with risk highest between midnight and 6 a.m. Many rideshare drivers work evening or overnight shifts after working another job earlier in the day. That means exhausted drivers are often navigating the most dangerous roadway hours of the week.

So while riders may feel safer outsourcing the drive, fatigue creates another layer of risk hidden behind the steering wheel.

 

Deadheading: The Hidden Risk Few Riders Know About

Another rarely discussed factor is “deadheading” — the miles Uber and Lyft vehicles drive without passengers while waiting for or traveling to pickups.

A major field study found that 40.8% of rideshare miles are empty miles. When deadheading is included, true rideshare occupancy drops to 0.8 riders per mile.

That means:

• more vehicles circulating late at night

• more congestion in already chaotic nightlife zones

• more opportunities for conflict with impaired drivers

• more chances for crashes — even when no passenger is onboard

So while rideshares may reduce some drunk driving, they also increase total vehicle exposure in the most dangerous hours of the night.

 

Do Rideshares Make Roads Safer Overall? The Evidence Isn’t Settled

Some researchers argue rideshares reduce drunk driving deaths.
Others argue they increase overall fatalities by flooding roads with more vehicles.

One major study linked rideshare rollout to a 6% decrease in alcohol-related deaths.
Another found roughly a 3% increase in total traffic fatalities, tied to increased traffic volume.

According to Vaziri Law Group’s legal review, what matters most isn’t the national average — it’s what actually happens in high-nightlife urban environments where late-night rides are concentrated.

 

Vaziri Law Group: This Risk Pattern Is “Predictable, Not Coincidence”

A spokesperson for the firm framed the issue this way:

“When almost half of alcohol-impaired fatalities occur in the same six-hour window, weekend after weekend, that’s not chance — that’s predictability. And when thousands of additional vehicles operate in that same window, we have to acknowledge the risk environment we are putting riders and drivers into.”

In severe injury and wrongful-death cases involving rideshares, the firm says it now routinely investigates:

• whether fatigue exposure was foreseeable

• how dark the pickup area was

• whether curbside design increased danger

• how much unnecessary deadheading occurred

• whether cities and platforms prepared for known late-night risks

“Riders deserve a system designed around reality,” the firm states, “not assumptions.”

 

A Safer Choice — or Just a Different Risk?

Late-night Uber and Lyft trips remain essential for preventing drunk driving — and many lives are undoubtedly saved by riders choosing not to drive impaired. But Vaziri Law Group’s analysis argues that pretending nighttime roads are automatically “safe” simply because a professional is driving ignores a more complicated truth.

The late-night danger isn’t hypothetical. It’s documented, recurring, and concentrated in hours when rideshares dominate American streets.

And when risk is consistent, predictable, and thoroughly documented — ignoring it, the firm argues, is no longer an option.