While Uber and Lyft
continue to be immensely popular, various safety issues have surrounded the
ride-sharing companies. A new
issue that has cropped up involves drivers with interlock devices in their
car who are forced to blow into the machine during a pick-up. Uber and Lyft have both come under fire for
their background check policies in the past.
According to company policies for both companies, “people who have been
convicted of an alcohol-related offense within the past seven years aren’t
allowed to drive for Uber or Lyft.”
The
background checks that both companies conduct before hiring a new driver are
supposed to catch criminal and traffic convictions. For two companies that tout how important
safety is to them, it is surprising that there are some drivers that manage to
sneak through the cracks. For a job that
is solely based on driving, there should not be anyone with an alcohol-related
offense on their record who is driving people around as a job. This has become a problem in many states
because once an initial background check is conducted, there are no follow
ups. So, if a driver who had no
convictions when the background check was conducted, but a year later gets a
DUI, there is no requirement that further checks be conducted each year. This is how we get Uber and Lyft drivers on
the road with interlock devices installed in their vehicles.
Virginia
is a notable exception because, unlike many other states, there is a
requirement for drivers to notify the ride-sharing companies of any incident
that could jeopardize their employment.
There is a penalty of civil or criminal charges or a yearlong ban for
failure to inform.
If you are charged with
an alcohol-related offense in Virginia and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more
information please feel free to contact our office at (703) 916-1227 and
schedule an appointment at our office in Vienna or
throughout Virginia, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/
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