Amazon delivery drivers are expected to do the impossible, and it’s causing serious problems on the road. Those unrealistic expectations have resulted in hundreds of injuries and nearly a dozen deaths. Several news sources have picked up on this, and many are wondering whether Amazon is overworking delivery drivers.
In Their Shoes
Amazon expects drivers in a medium-sized city to deliver around 200-300 packages per day in a single eight-hour shift. That’s an expectation of one package every two minutes, assuming no restroom brakes, fuel stops, or a lunch break. Not only that, but Amazon expects 999/1,000 packages to be delivered on schedule.
Anyone can see that these numbers don’t work. They are unreasonable and don’t account for traffic to moving between neighborhoods. Not only that, but the drivers have a legal obligation to take breaks and lunch. This is rarely the case and many drivers report not receiving overtime pay when they fail to meet impossible expectations.
Taking a Risk
Because of pressures from Amazon, delivery drivers risk reckless driving to shave seconds off their routes. One driver reported that allowing a pedestrian to pass put him behind schedule. Likewise, forced overtime causes drivers to go over their limits, creating the risk of a tired, overworked driver on the road at night.
Amazon has a big problem. To prevent reckless driving, it needs to scale up as quickly as possible and provide drivers with a realistic number of daily deliveries. At the same time, creating hundreds of additional drivers contributes to traffic congestion, which makes accidents more likely.
There’s no simple answer to this problem. Understanding the full extent of Amazon’s working conditions and how they endanger both the public and Amazon employees might make you reconsider your next Prime order.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries at the hands of a negligent delivery driver, you might have a case. If you’d like an experienced Long Beach personal injury attorney from McGee, Lerer & Associates to evaluate your case, please send us an email or call (562) 270-0546.