On-demand product delivery has become a common expectation in e-commerce. Some of the most successful businesses offer rapid delivery turnaround times, which requires a massive fleet of company vehicles and large crews of delivery drivers.
Each of those drivers may need to personally deliver and document as many as 200 packages a day, sometimes even more. Drivers only have a few minutes to commit to each individual delivery. The pressure on delivery drivers can significantly increase the likelihood of a preventable crash occurring.
Unsafe parking is common
Delivery drivers must move from one location to the next rapidly. They frequently park in convenient locations that may not actually be legal or safe. Other drivers could then strike stopped delivery vehicles or cause secondary crashes if they must swerve to avoid an unsafely parked delivery vehicle.
Erratic driving is common, too
Delivery drivers follow routes planned by their employers and mapped by navigation software. Especially if they are in neighborhoods that they do not often drive, they may maneuver unpredictably and abruptly. Delivery drivers trying to turn with little advance warning or cross multiple lanes of traffic for an upcoming turn can potentially cause collisions as they maneuver rapidly through traffic.
Those involved in delivery vehicle collisions may face significant injuries caused by these relatively large vehicles. There may also be questions about insurance coverage and liability.
Reviewing the circumstances of a delivery vehicle collision can help injured people understand their options. Drivers and their employers may be liable for crashes caused by aggressive driving, unsafe parking and other practical consequences of demanding work obligations.