Do Uber and Lyft Have Insurance if I’m in a Crash?

When we step into an Uber or Lyft we think we’re making a smart transportation choice, but what happens if the car we’re in gets into a car accident? You may wonder, “am I covered under their insurance policy?” At Cook, Bradford & Levy our lawyers regularly help people who have been injured in a crash while in an Uber or Lyft, and we know the answer is YES – you are covered by Uber and Lyft’s own insurance policies that will pay for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any physical injuries you may suffer. Call us today at 303-543-1000 where Brian and Jason will listen to the circumstances of your case and help identify the insurance policies covering your crash.

Being a lawyer means doing whatever it takes to help clients. In 2022, after noticing that Uber and Lyft were no longer providing certain insurance coverage to their passengers, Cook, Bradford & Levy lawyers took action. Our lawyers, as well as one of our brave clients, testified before the House Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill 1089, which was ultimately signed into law and now requires rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to provide Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UM/UIM) to their passengers.

This means that now if you are a rideshare passenger and the car you are in is in a crash, Uber and Lyft must provide you with at least $200,000 per person/$400,000 per accident to cover any damages you suffer. This is a huge win for rideshare passengers, because before this law was passed, Uber and Lyft did not have to provide ANY coverage for passengers, which is unfair because these multi-billion dollar companies can easily afford to provide adequate insurance. Quite simply, this law is the right thing to do to keep passengers safe.

Well, the first thing a good Uber or Lyft lawyer will do is find the money that will compensate his or her client. Not only will the liability insurance of the at-fault driver come into play, but if your damages are bigger than the amount of liability coverage available, the at-fault driver is considered uninsured or underinsured. When this happens, BOTH your personal UM/UIM insurance AND Uber’s or Lyft’s UM/UIM are available for your use. For example, you are the only rideshare passenger and the car you’re in gets hit by a careless driver. The careless driver’s insured by State Farm with a liability policy of $100,000 per person. You also have $100,000 UM/UIM coverage on your own automobile policy with Travelers. In this situation you will have at least $400,000 in insurance coverage to pay for your damages which breaks down as follows: $100,000 from State Farm + $100,000 from Travelers + $200,000 from Uber/Lyft = $400,000. Each situation will vary, which is why we recommend contacting an experienced Colorado Uber car accident lawyer.

In situations where the Uber or Lyft driver causes the crash and you are injured, you are covered by the rideshare company’s own liability insurance policy, which is usually $1,000.000 per person/per accident, but may vary. However, if you are catastrophically injured and your case is worth more than the insurance limits of the rideshare company, then Uber or Lyft is considered underinsured and you and tap into your own UM/UIM coverage if you have it. So using the example above, if you’re in a crash where the rideshare driver is at-fault you will have access to a liability policy of typically $1,000,000 plus your personal $100,000 UM/UIM policy with Travelers. And yes, you can use your UM/UIM coverage even though you were not using your own vehicle at the time of the crash. This is because a feature of UM/UIM coverage is that it is “portable,” meaning that it follows you and not your vehicle.

This is a good reminder of how powerful and important UM/UIM coverage is and why you should make sure you have it on your own policy. If you have questions about how much and what type of automobile coverage you should get, our attorneys are experts in automobile insurance policies and would be happy to talk with you as part of the free consultation we offer.

If you have been hurt in a car accident while riding as an Uber or Lyft passenger, or if you simply have questions regarding your policy, we invite you to call us today for a free consultation with one of our experienced Uber crash attorneys. We have successfully brought claims against Uber, Lyft and the multi-billion-dollar insurance companies that insure them. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you pursue your claim to get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today at 303-543-1000!