Written by Jonathan Michaelson.
New Year’s Day should have been a time for celebration, not headlines that read like the plot of a Hollywood disaster movie. Two separate incidents, both involving vehicles rented on the Turo platform, left America grappling with tragedy and unanswered questions. In New Orleans, Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd in the French Quarter, killing 14 revelers before being shot by police. Hours later, in Las Vegas, an explosive-laden Tesla Cybertruck detonated outside a Trump hotel, taking the life of Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: these incidents have dragged Turo—a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform—into an uncomfortable spotlight. The company quickly expressed condolences for the victims and outrage at the misuse of their platform. But condolences don’t erase the fact that two deadly incidents involving rented vehicles have left a permanent mark on New Year’s Day 2024.
The FBI, for its part, has found no definitive link between the two events, though the eerie timing and connection to Turo rentals have fueled speculation. One thing is certain: Turo’s role in these tragedies has brought peer-to-peer car-sharing under intense scrutiny.
Turo’s Backstory: From Start-Up Darling to Center of Controversy
Turo, the San Francisco-based company that’s billed itself as “the Airbnb of cars,” has been around since 2010, though it initially went by the name RelayRides. It allows everyday car owners to rent their vehicles to others, creating a sort of Craigslist-meets-rental-car hybrid. While the idea sounds innovative, the company’s tagline of being “the world’s largest car-sharing marketplace” feels a bit hollow in the wake of recent events.
Over the years, Turo has racked up impressive stats: 27 million trips, 8.6 billion miles driven, and only a minuscule percentage of serious incidents. But as anyone with a shred of common sense can tell you, it only takes one—or in this case, two—disastrous events to tarnish a company’s reputation.
Both vehicles involved in the New Year’s Day tragedies were rented via Turo. Authorities confirmed that the Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas had been rented in Colorado and transported to Nevada. Similarly, the New Orleans pickup truck was booked on the platform. It’s a grim reminder that while Turo may boast cutting-edge safety processes, no system is foolproof.
Turo’s Response: A Lot of Words, Not Enough Answers
Following the events, Turo issued a statement emphasizing their commitment to working with law enforcement and reiterating their screening processes. According to the company, both men involved in the incidents had clean records, valid driver’s licenses, and even honorable military discharges.
In Turo’s defense, their screening process would’ve flagged neither of these men as risks. “They could have rented from any traditional car rental company,” Turo said, in what feels like an attempt to deflect blame. Fair point, but it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in a world where a Cybertruck can be rented, loaded with explosives, and driven into the heart of a major city.
Turo also noted that their screening process involves “data-science-based trust and safety protocols.” While that sounds impressive, it didn’t prevent these incidents. It’s one thing to run background checks and verify driver’s licenses, but it’s another to anticipate how someone might misuse a rented vehicle.
Our Take
Peer-to-peer platforms like Turo sell themselves on convenience and innovation, but these incidents highlight a darker side: the potential for catastrophic misuse. While traditional rental companies have their flaws, they’re also governed by stricter oversight and often come with face-to-face interactions that might deter bad actors.
These events are more than just isolated tragedies—they’re a wake-up call. The unchecked rise of platforms like Turo poses a risk not just to their users but to society at large. Convenience is great, but not at the expense of safety. And when the stakes are this high, “trust and safety protocols” start to sound like hollow marketing buzzwords.
Ultimately, it’s not just about Turo—it’s about holding tech companies accountable for the platforms they create. Otherwise, we’re all one bad algorithm away from the next disaster.
