Does Uber actually check your insurance?

If you have been injured in an Uber accident, you must navigate a complex legal framework before you can receive a settlement check for your injuries. The experienced team of Uber/Lyft accident attorneys in Vancouver at Schauermann Thayer Injury Law can help you navigate this system.

Uber drivers are required to have their own car insurance because their policy may need to cover damages in certain instances. However, Uber may not verify insurance status directly with the provider, instead relying on the driver’s proof of coverage. It is unclear whether you could sue Uber directly when they do not follow their own requirements to confirm that the driver actually had car insurance.

Call the Uber/Lyft accident lawyers in Vancouver at Schauermann Thayer Injury Law when you need someone to fight for you after an Uber accident. Without legal help, Uber’s “trusted insurance partners” could succeed in drastically cutting the amount of compensation you could receive for your injuries.

Uber Drivers Must Also Have Their Own Insurance Coverage

Certain requirements must be met before drivers can get on the road for Uber. The company will do a background check to ensure that the driver is not dangerous, both from a criminal and a driving perspective. One thing that Uber should do is check whether the driver has a valid and active car insurance policy. Although Uber provides an insurance policy for the driver, there are times when it does not apply to cover your accident damages. 

The question is whether Uber actually does what it says when they bring drivers on board. Uber has been known to cut various corners. For example, the company has been known to not perform full background checks on new drivers, leading to dangerous criminals assaulting drivers. Since Uber often deals with driver shortages, and they want to rush people on the road, it follows that they may not take all steps possible to protect you. 

Why Uber Drivers Need Their Own Insurance Coverage

There are times when a driver’s own personal car insurance policy would need to be applied to cover accident damages. Rideshare companies like Uber have a three-part model when it comes to insurance coverage. There are different levels of coverage that apply, based on what stage in the rideshare process the driver was at when the accident occurred. 

• If the app was off, the driver’s own personal auto insurance coverage applies (which is exactly why Uber should check whether the driver has insurance before they are allowed to drive)
• The next level of coverage (which is through an insurance policy provided by Uber) applies when the app is one, but the driver has not yet accepted a ride request.
• The highest level of coverage is when the driver has accepted a ride request or has a passenger in the car. Then, there is up to $1 million of coverage for the accident.

In addition, there is little coverage for injuries to the Uber driver and damage to their car when the app is on, but they have not accepted a ride request. There is only a minimal amount of coverage available during that stage (up to $100,000 for the accident). The driver may need their own insurance to cover the gap, since they could end up personally liable for the balance of damages in a serious accident. However, standard car insurance policies will often refuse to cover accidents that occur when the policyholder is driving for Uber. Thus, the driver may need their own supplemental insurance policy, which is something that Uber would certainly not check before a driver gets behind the wheel for them. Whether to obtain a supplemental insurance policy is a choice that the driver makes to protect themselves from excess liability.

Uber May Not Always Follow its Own Policies and Procedures

Still, Uber may not always check to see whether a driver has insurance before accepting a driver, even though they promise they will. The problem is that Uber does not necessarily contact the insurance company to check if the driver has a policy. Instead, they are relying on the driver to provide proof of insurance, and they would review and accept what the driver provides. 

If Uber fails to perform an insurance check, and you are hurt by an uninsured driver, you may still not be able to sue Uber directly because the driver may be legally deemed to be on their own time because the app is not engaged. This issue is one of the many complex questions involved in rideshare accidents, and it is another reason why you would need an Uber accident lawyer if you have been hurt in a crash. Uber does everything possible to protect themselves from lawsuits and insulate themselves from liability. A Vancouver Uber/Lyft accident attorney could review your case and help determine how you can best recover financial compensation and whether you may even be able to sue Uber (most times, the answer to that question is no, but courts have been increasingly open to listening to plaintiffs when they argue otherwise).

Contact a Vancouver Uber/Lyft Accident Lawyer Today

If you or a loved one have been hurt in an Uber accident, one of the first phone calls you should make is to an experienced Vancouver Uber/Lyft accident lawyer at Schauermann Thayer Injury Law. We will investigate the facts and circumstances of your accident before we help you act legally. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our uber/lyft accident attorneys by calling us today at (360) 818-2725 or by sending us a message through our website.