Why Amazon Delivery Accidents Are Rising

Amazon has become one of the largest parcel delivery networks in the United States, and that growth puts a large number of drivers on the road under demanding delivery schedules. When one of those drivers causes a crash, Amazon’s position is often that the driver worked for an independent Delivery Service Partner. Juries have looked past that label when the evidence shows Amazon’s control over the driver.

Amazon’s Delivery Network and Crash Risk

Amazon manages many of its drivers through routing apps, real-time monitoring, and performance systems while classifying most of them as independent contractors through its Delivery Service Partner program. That classification is Amazon’s standard defense in a crash, and juries have rejected it in some cases.

A CBS News analysis of federal safety data examined six years of FMCSA unsafe driving violation rates and found that average rates for carriers hauling for Amazon were at least 89 percent higher than rates for other carriers in every month studied.

The firm’s Amazon delivery vehicle accident practice reviews each layer of potential responsibility after a Kentucky crash involving an Amazon vehicle.

Structural Factors Behind Amazon Delivery Crashes

Three features of delivery work raise crash risk: the pace of the route, driver turnover, and the technology drivers use while driving.

Demanding Delivery Schedules

Amazon Delivery Service Partner drivers are often assigned a high volume of packages per shift, and during peak seasons the expected pace is demanding. Drivers have reported pressure to keep moving quickly between stops, which can affect safe driving decisions.

Driver Turnover and Screening

Delivery driving has high turnover, so drivers are often still learning routes on the job. High turnover can weaken the consistency of training and safety habits across a delivery fleet.

In-Vehicle Technology Distraction

Delivery management apps, GPS systems, and scanner devices keep drivers interacting with technology while operating their vehicles. According to NHTSA’s distracted driving data, thousands of people die nationally each year in crashes involving a distracted driver, and the tools required for delivery work create a similar risk.

Operational Control Over Delivery Drivers

Amazon often instructs Delivery Service Partner drivers on routes, stop timing, and delivery volume, and monitors performance through cameras and telematics. Drivers frequently wear Amazon uniforms and use Amazon-provided scanners while carrying Amazon packages. This level of operational control is the center of the legal dispute over whether Amazon shares responsibility for a driver’s negligence, whatever contractual label Amazon applies to the relationship.

In a Dorchester County, South Carolina case, a jury returned a $44.6 million verdict, including $30 million in punitive damages, after a man was injured in a collision with an Amazon delivery van in September 2021. WCIV reported that the jury found Amazon vicariously liable for the acts of the Delivery Service Partner and its driver, and grossly negligent in its hiring, supervision, and retention of the driver. The presiding judge later reported to the South Carolina General Assembly that the parties settled before the appeal was heard.

Common Amazon Delivery Crash Types

Amazon’s fleet includes branded delivery vans, personal vehicles used by Flex drivers, and larger commercial trucks moving freight between fulfillment centers. Each presents different crash dynamics.

• Rear-end crashes: often tied to distraction or following too closely while moving quickly between stops, among the more common crash types involving delivery vehicles.
• Sideswipe crashes: improper lane changes or aggressive merging while trying to keep pace with a delivery schedule.
• Pedestrian and cyclist strikes: particularly in dense residential neighborhoods where delivery density is high and driver attention is divided.
• Backing crashes: delivery drivers back into driveways and loading areas repeatedly during a shift, and fatigue or time pressure can create blind-spot risks.
• Semi-truck crashes: Amazon’s freight network uses larger commercial vehicles that fall under federal trucking regulations and can produce more severe injuries.

Potentially Responsible Parties

Liability in an Amazon delivery crash is rarely straightforward, because Amazon’s business structure places contracted companies between Amazon and the driver.

• The driver: can be personally liable for negligent conduct such as speeding or distracted driving, though a personal auto policy may not cover a serious injury.
• The Delivery Service Partner: the local business Amazon contracts with to manage delivery operations, which employs the driver and generally carries commercial insurance, though policy limits vary.
• Amazon itself: potentially liable when the evidence shows the control Amazon exercised over the driver and the DSP created an agency relationship, as the South Carolina jury found.

Routing data, delivery quota records, and monitoring technology show Amazon’s role, and much of this data follows limited retention schedules. An Amazon-related car accident claim can also involve traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.