DUI Arrests in Chicago Continue to Decline. Did Ride Hailing Do That?

DUI arrests have fallen since the arrival of ride hailing apps in Chicago in 2011, according to a study by the Moll Law Group. "The report compared the average number of DUI arrests two years before Uber launched in these cities to the average number during subsequent years and found that the number decreased in all of the cities," John Greenfield reports in Streetsblog Chicago.

"In the two years before Uber debuted here in September 2011, the average number of arrests per year was 4,018, according to Chicago Police Department data," Greenfield reports. In 2016 that number was 3,284. The decrease is consistent with falling rates in other American cities after ride hailing.

Still, while the arrival of ride hailing in the city may be correlated with fewer DUI arrests, the study does not necessarily prove that ride hailing is causing a decrease in drunk driving. Greenfield points out that DUI arrests in the city were already trending down before 2011, and arrests may be related to a number of factors beyond the prevalence of drunk driving.