This Infographic Explains What to Do If Your Lyft Line Is in an Accident.
Sharing services have made life easier for many of us on a time-bound basis, but with these conveniences many other concerns arise: driver and passenger safety concerns , corporate scandals and, of course, the potential for road accidents. Whether your car is hitting the bend of the fenders or the rear end, here’s what you need to know.
The biggest question is probably this: what does the insurance cover? Unsurprisingly, this is something of a legitimate swamp, sensitive to the politics of individual states and cities. Most drivers should have their own personal insurance, but they should also have additional insurance from what is stated in their ride-sharing contract. Who’s Driving You , a website promoting the protection of both drivers and riders, writes:
Uber, Lyft and Sidecar say they have $ 1 million in “liability” insurance policies. This should sound impressive and reassuring, but experts agree that “ride-sharing” contains insidious gaps in coverage. For example, the period during which the TNC driver turns on the application and waits for a ping is now commonly known as “Period 1”.
Period 1, according to the infographic below from Now Sourcing , is the time when the service app is turned on, the ride is not accepted and there are no passengers in the car. This means the ridesharing company might say that you are not technically “working” for them yet. In California at least, recent law requires transportation network companies (TNCs) to provide basic insurance coverage to cover the costs of personal injury, death, and property damage to third parties in period 1. If you are a driver, protect yourself: teach your insurance company and study city laws.
If you are a passenger involved in a ride-sharing accident, be sure to write down all of your driver’s information, including the driver’s contact information, insurance information, and information about the ride-sharing company. Check out the infographic below for more information.
What to do in case of an accident when sharing a trip | Personal injury San Diego