According to a July 19, AP report “The operator of a light-rail train that crashed [in San Francisco], injuring dozens of passengers as well as the operator, came under scrutiny on Sunday as federal investigators tried to figure out why he turned off the automatic controls moments before the accident. Ted Turpin, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said that the operator switched the controls from automatic to manual in a tunnel near the West Portal Station and that he never engaged the emergency brake. Had the operator kept the autopilot on, Mr. Turpin said, the train would have slowed down before arriving at the station and most likely not have careened into a parked train while going 23 miles per hour.”

When Curiosity Meets Advocacy: Spotlighting Abraham Metz’s Work on Rideshare and Delivery Liability
What looks like individual driver error is often something more: a system designed to reward speed, urgency, and constant engagement. When apps gamify delivery, they don’t just increase efficiency—they reshape behavior on the road.

