The National Limousine Association is accusing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft of failing to properly vet their drivers, which the group said is leading to incidents like the recent shooting spree by an Uber driver that left six people dead

Former Uber driver Jason Dalton allegedly shot and killed six people while picking up customers in Michigan on Feb. 20. He has told investigators the Uber app possessed him and forced him to carry out the killings, according to news reports.

In response to the shooting spree, NLA commissioned a survey of more than 2,000 adults to find out how they feel about safety in private ground transportation. Ninety-three percent of respondents said they should be able to contact a car service operator or dispatcher in real-time if they do not feel safe during a car service ride. Additionally, nine in 10 said passengers of all car services should have the ability to speak to a live customer service operator or dispatcher at any time.

In a statement, NLA co-founder Scott Solombrino said the Michigan shooting spree was only the latest in a string of incidents involving ridesharing services, "many of which could have been avoided or averted with due diligence and basic communications protocols."

"As the survey results illustrate, the public overwhelmingly believes that car service users should have access to a live customer service operator, which ride-hailing application services such as Uber and Lyft do not provide," he said. "This lack of real-time communications with these service providers is putting the lives of millions in our communities at risk, including drivers, passengers and the general public."

Solombrino also accused Uber and Lyft of failing to run proper background checks on drivers, "putting passengers, drivers and the general public at risk."

NLA and other groups representing limousine and taxi drivers have been waging a PR war against Uber and Lyft, both of which are competing with limousines and taxis for costumers. Neither company had responded to NLA's accusations as of Tuesday morning. http://prn.to/1pJ1lML

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