Skip to main content

Concern over Uber’s vetting processes after US shooting

The arrest of an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has prompted renewed interest in the company’s driver vetting process. Uber has confirmed that Jason Brian Dalton, accused of injuring two and killing six people over the 20-21 February 2016 weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was an Uber driver who had passed the background checks with no criminal records. The company’s website says that Uber operates an extensive driver screening process which includes collecting detailed information from potential d
February 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The arrest of an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has prompted renewed interest in the company’s driver vetting process.

Uber has confirmed that Jason Brian Dalton, accused of injuring two and killing six people over the 20-21 February 2016 weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was an Uber driver who had passed the background checks with no criminal records.

The company’s website says that Uber operates an extensive driver screening process which includes collecting detailed information from potential drivers, including address, age, social security number, driving licence, vehicle registration and insurance details. These are then checked by the investigation service Checkr, which also checks the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, National Criminal Search and several different databases used to flag suspected terrorists.

Uber says it also uses technology to enable a safer ride by giving passengers information about their driver, tracking all trips using GPS from beginning to end and incorporating feedback from riders and drivers.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Californian prosecutors alleged that the process was unable to detect drivers who can possibly be harmful.

Uber’s chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, has confirmed that the company is helping the police with their investigations.

Related Content

  • July 16, 2019
    Man convicted of driverless car terror plot in UK
    A man has been found guilty in a UK court of plotting to use a driverless car for terrorism. Farhad Salah was convicted at Sheffield Crown Court after prosecutors argued that he was planning to put an explosive device in a vehicle which could then be controlled remotely. He will be sentenced on 24 July after the jury found him guilty by a majority of 10 to two. His co-defendant Andy Star was found not guilty of the same offence at the trial. It is the second time that both men, who are Iraqi nationals,
  • November 6, 2019
    NTSB: Uber’s AV in fatal crash ‘had software issues’
    The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that an Uber autonomous vehicle which killed Elaine Herzberg last year had software flaws. NTSB released a report which says the Volvo XC60’s autonomous system software classified the pedestrian as an unknown object and determined that an emergency braking manoeuvre was needed to mitigate the collision. Uber confirmed that emergency braking manoeuvres must be carried out manually and the system is not designed to alert the driver. Data
  • February 2, 2016
    London’s mayor launches bus safety programme
    The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a world-leading programme to drive major improvements in safety across London's bus network, creating a six-point programme to reduce collisions and improve safety. The programme will bring together the newest technology, training, incentives, support, reporting and transparency right across the network, contributing to TfL's work towards meeting the mayor's target of halving the number of people killed or seriously injured on the capital's
  • November 9, 2017
    Mobinet counters weighty cross border concerns
    A Mobinet pilot is combining onboard weighing with V2X comms to streamline vehicle weight enforcement. David Crawford reports. Pan-European, cross-border weigh-in-motion (WIM) for trucks is now a practical possibility, following successful Scandinavian trials within the EU-co-funded Mobinet (Internet of Mobility) programme. New technology is using strain sensors, located on load-bearing components and routinely installed in truck fleet management systems.