SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — DoorDash is testing a new feature for its delivery drivers in Salt Lake City that reportedly monitors and reports their driving behaviors on the road.
The food delivery service announced it will be piloting three new in-app safety tools, including one called Driving Insights that uses technology built into smartphones to monitor their driving habits to improve safety.
According to DoorDash, the Driving Insights feature has been available to “Dashers” — a term referring to its delivery drivers — in Salt Lake City and Phoenix since July 2023 and has already seen a “positive response” from them.
As this and the other pilot features are also reportedly staying in accordance with the Dasher Privacy Policy, the company will be expanding the program to eight more US cities very soon.
“At DoorDash, our goal is to create the best possible experience for all Dashers and for the communities we serve, which is why we’re constantly working to help make every dash even safer,” says Vice President of Dasher Product Austin Haugen. “Testing these new features is another important step toward achieving this goal.”
Find details about these new pilot features below:
Driving Insights
The Driving Insights feature utilizes the same location information already collected from a Dasher’s phone while “dashing” to identify rapid changes in acceleration and braking.
DoorDash states that this data will then be given to Dashers to review their driving patterns between deliveries, as well as how they may have changed over time, in order to increase their awareness and promote safe driving practices.
However, there is no word on whether or not DoorDash will use this data for its own purposes.
Apple CarPlay Integration
Using the newest integration with CarPlay, drivers can reportedly sync their iPhone’s interface with their car’s built-in entertainment and information systems.
This feature, according to the company, aims to help drivers by letting them utilize the DoorDash navigation within their vehicle’s built-in screens to reduce the amount of time focused on their phones while on the road.
The integration was announced earlier this year and is now available in 17 US markets — though it’s unknown if or when this will roll out in Utah.
Speed Limit Notification on In-App Navigation
According to DoorDash, all Dashers who use in-app navigation can now view posted speed limits for any given stretch of road.
Even more, they can reportedly see on-screen indicators that show their individual speed compared to the posted limits.
Again, there is no information on how DoorDash might use this data for their own investigations.
These newest safety features add on to several others launched earlier this year, including reduced in-app notifications, one-tap responses for Dashers while completing orders, and simplifying the process of declining orders.
