More and more rideshare vehicles are buzzing around roadways each day. Uber and Lyft stickers are going on vehicles in every major city. While this is a great resource it also poses the question of who’s responsible if that driver is negligent.
Ridesharing drivers aren’t employees of the company they’re driving for. In most cases, Uber and Lyft do not claim legal responsibility for their drivers.
These companies do however offer training, background checks, education, and vehicle checks. Similar to other carrier insurance, major rideshare companies offer $1 million liability insurance, but it does have limitations to who it covers.
Injured While Riding in Rideshare Vehicle
The insurance of your driver should apply to your injuries. Some personal car insurance policies will have a “business use exception” that won’t cover damages and injuries that occur while the insured is acting as a for-profit driver.
If the driver’s personal insurance does not cover your injuries, Uber and Lyft carry third party liability insurance that pays up to $1 million for injuries and damage once the driver’s own insurance has been exhausted.
If the rideshare driver is not at fault in the accident you would pursue the at-fault driver via a third-party insurance claim.
Injury Caused by Rideshare Vehicle
Like with a typical car wreck case, the at-fault driver’s insurance will cover any injuries sustained in the accident. Uber and Lyft require their drivers to have personal car insurance that meets or exceeds the state minimums for liability coverage even if the coverage won’t apply while they’re driving for the company.
Both Uber and Lyft provide liability coverage for their drivers, and the companies have adopted very similar policies, with coverage that varies depending on when the accident occurs:
- when the driver is not logged into the Uber/Lyft app, Uber/Lyft provides no coverage
- when the driver is logged into the app but has not yet accepted a ride request, Uber/Lyft provides liability coverage for any accident that is the fault of the driver, up to $50,000 per person injured in an accident, and $100,000 total injury liability per accident, and $25,000 property damage liability.
- when the driver has accepted a trip/ride, Uber/Lyft provides liability coverage in the amount of $1 million.
Pursuing Compensation
If you are someone you know has been injured due to the negligence of a rideshare driver contact a personal injury attorney today. The insurance and liability of these cases can be confusing but our experienced personal injury attorneys at McCoy, Hiestand & Smith know how to navigate even the most complex cases.