A quiet night in Lynnwood, Washington, turned chaotic when a DoorDash delivery ended in a fiery wreck. Police say a driver, allegedly high out of his mind, lost control and slammed into a tree on 192nd Street SW. Instead of waiting for help, the driver set the car ablaze and fled on foot.

Officers quickly extinguished the fire, while a K9 tracked the DoorDash driver to a hiding spot under a parked vehicle

The man was later arrested and booked on charges including second-degree arson, DUI, and hit-and-run, the police department shared in a Facebook post. They say he was high on meth.

Incidents like this, though relatively rare, raise questions about how gig economy platforms vet and monitor drivers.

DoorDash requires background checks before onboarding, using third-party services to review criminal and driving histories

However, the company generally does not conduct regular, ongoing checks once a driver is active.

Uber, by contrast, performs annual rechecks and may require additional screening in certain regions for offenses like DUI.

Both platforms can deactivate accounts if criminal activity or unsafe driving is reported.

Still, as far as we could find, there isn’t any real-time safe driver monitoring outside the app’s delivery functions.

If you suspect your DoorDash or Uber Eats driver is under the influence, take immediate action to stay safe

To start: If you’re actually in an Uber or Lyft as a passenger, ask the driver to stop and let you out of the vehicle. If you feel unsafe, call 911 right away.

After you’re in a safe location, report the incident through the app’s support or customer service feature.

Otherwise, if you witness unsafe driving or other odd behavior, you should still call 911. It’s important to stop the driver from risking their own or others’ safety. You should also report the behavior through the delivery app.

Uber says it has a Zero Tolerance Policy that forbids drivers from using or being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving.

Reports of suspected impairment may result in account suspension while Uber investigates. Confirmed violations can lead to permanent deactivation, and drivers may be required to take a drug test.

DoorDash also enforces a strict policy against impaired driving. Drivers found under the influence during a delivery may have their accounts deactivated, sometimes immediately, for severe or repeated violations.

Delivery drivers also face higher exposure to traffic risks than the average commuter, simply due to the time spent on the road

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than half of serious and fatal car accidents involve at least one drug, like methamphetamine. So even if a delivery driver isn’t under the influence, they often have to share the road with drivers who are.

The Lynnwood incident, though, stands out not just for the crash itself but for the extreme behavior afterward…you know, the whole “igniting the vehicle and fleeing” stuff.