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SALT LAKE CITY — DoorDash is expanding the use of a new app feature that observes certain road behaviors and informs delivery drivers if they are driving unsafely, following an initial test in Salt Lake City this summer.
The app-based food delivery service announced Friday that it will implement what it calls "Driving Insights" in the markets of Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Palm Beach, Florida. It began testing the feature in Salt Lake City and Phoenix back in July, which generated "a positive response" among drivers in the cities.
The app feature uses location information, which is already collected from a driver's phone, to pinpoint changes in braking and acceleration, and changes in patterns over time, company officials explain. They add that their goal is that drivers will use this information to "gain more awareness of their habits, and, in turn, promote safe driving practices."
It's one of three changes that DoorDash is either testing or has implemented on U.S. roadways recently. It's also testing the use of its app on Apple CarPlay so drivers can reduce "phone interactions" while out on the road. This feature is currently being tested in 17 other markets, none of which are in Utah.
Drivers in all markets have access to a feature in the app that shows them if they are traveling above a posted speed limit.
"We're constantly working to help make every dash even safer. Testing these new features is another important step toward achieving this goal," said Austin Haugen, DoorDash's vice president of Dasher Product, in a statement. "We look forward to assessing (driver) feedback and will continue to tirelessly work to further improve safety through innovation."
The California-based company was founded in 2013. It had more than 2 million drivers by 2022, though most work less than 10 hours per week, according to Querysprout, which did a breakdown of the company's data last year.
The safety feature announcement came days after DoorDash announced that its total orders jumped by 24% to 543 million between July and September, the Associated Press notes.
