When you request an Uber to drive you where you need to go, you expect the driver to not only drive safely but also to have insurance that will pay for any injuries you suffer in the event of a crash. Unfortunately, however, reality may not match your expectations.
While Uber does offer its drivers “driver-partner insurance,” not all drivers buy this insurance. Even if your particular driver has it, you need to be aware of the fact that this insurance contains numerous gaps.
Liability coverage
Uber’s vaunted $1 million liability insurance coverage only applies to you as a passenger if the accident in which you sustain injuries happens under the following circumstances:
- Your Uber driver caused the accident.
- He or she purchased Uber’s “driver-partner insurance.”
- He or she also purchased a commercial auto liability policy that covers him or her when he or she drives for a paying passenger.
- His or her commercial auto liability policy has already paid you its maximum amount.
A little known fact about Uber drivers is that few of them ever buy a commercial auto liability policy. Furthermore, their personal auto insurance policy almost invariably excludes any drive-for-hire activities in which they engage.
Uninsured motorist coverage
Uber includes uninsured motorist coverage in the “driver-partner insurance” it offers its drivers. Here again, however, your driver may not have bought this insurance, and even if he or she did, it does not cover you unless one of the following criteria applies:
- The other driver who caused the accident had no auto insurance.
- He or she was underinsured, meaning his or her auto insurance was not enough to cover your injuries.
- No one knows the other driver’s identity, which only happens if he or she committed hit and run.
For more information about Uber or Lyft auto injury claims, contact an experienced personal injury attorney.
