It is important to note that Lyft maintains that most rides are completed without incident. However, as rideshare services expand across major U.S. cities, accidents involving companies like Lyft have also increased. This trend is justifiably raising concerns about safety, liability, and regulation.
National Lyft Accident Data
According to Lyft’s 2024 Safety Transparency Report, covering data from 2017 through 2019:
- Lyft reported 105 fatalities across 100 ride-related incidents during that period
- Approximately 40% of those deaths involved third parties, including pedestrians and cyclists
- Fatal incidents were disproportionately concentrated in urban areas, often during evening and early morning hours
Rideshare Impact on Road Safety
A University of Chicago study found that introducing Uber and Lyft in U.S. cities has been associated with a 2–3% annual increase in traffic fatalities.
The study estimates that rideshare-related congestion and road exposure increases contribute to approximately 987 additional traffic deaths per year.
Houston-Specific Crash Data
Although Lyft does not release city-specific accident data, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reports that Harris County experienced 116,521 traffic crashes in 2023—more than any other county in Texas.
These included:
- 501 fatal crashes
- 2,763 serious injury crashes
Many of these crashes occurred in rideshare-heavy areas such as Downtown Houston, the Galleria, and around Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airports.
