Uber Insurance Gaps

Driving for Uber can be a great way to earn money, but if you are using Uber you might be vulnerable to insurance liability gaps, and you may be held financially and legally responsible for damages that occur when your app is open. If you are San Antonio and you are concerned that your insurance is leaving you vulnerable, or if you have been in an accident involving Uber, call Carabin Shaw, toll free at 800-862-1260, for the help you need from a reputable San Antonio Uber accident lawyer.

In most cases, personally injury insurance, which is required in the State of Texas for all drivers, will offer coverage if there is an accident when a ridesharing application is logged on and a driver is waiting to be paired with a rider.

If you’re a ridesharing driver, this means Uber will not offer liability coverage if you are logged into your account, but you are not actively paired with a rider, or if you are not logged into the application. Instead, Uber will hold your personal auto insurance responsible for any accident that occurs when you are not driving with a rider or driving to pick up a rider. However, depending on your auto insurance, if you have your app on, your personal injury insurance may not offer enough protection if an accident occurs.

If you have been in an accident and you are having problems with your insurance company, it is important to have a specialized Uber attorney to advise you. Carabin Shaw have practiced Uber accident attorneys waiting to help you with the complex legal issues surrounding Uber liability gaps.

Even if you have an accident involving Uber after a trip is accepted, you might still experience problems with insurance gaps. While Uber will provide commercial insurance to protect drivers and riders should an accident occur, this may not be adequate protection. If your personal auto insurance does not have comprehensive coverage, or a policy that covers the costs of repairs to your car, Uber will not offer comprehensive coverage if your car is damaged by your own fault while using the application. If you are using your car for ridesharing purposes, and do not have a comprehensive collision coverage on your personal insurance, Uber may not pay for the damage to your vehicle if you are at fault for the accident (Uber). If you need help understanding the intricate and changing laws surrounding Uber insurance liability, Carabin Shaw has an Uber attorney who can help you.

Also, Uber laws are still changing. The City of San Antonito passed stronger ride sharing regulations, which, among other concerns, helped to combat ridesharing insurance liability gaps up to $200,000. However, after Uber’s departure from the San Antonio, the city has removed the gap coverage in order to support ridesharing companies (NowCastSA). Additionally, the Texas House passed a bill on April 20, 2017 that will make the State of Texas responsible for regulating ride sharing apps and will bar local governments from regulating ridesharing. This means Uber will be returning to cities where they have been previously banned, such as Corpus Christi, Austin, and Galveston (Reuters).

While the return of ridesharing is exciting, State wide regulations means that there will be big changes to the local policies that regulate ride sharing. Currently, the State of Texas only requires Uber and Lyft drivers to have personal injury insurance, which all Texas drivers are required to have, which means drivers for Uber may not have adequate insurance coverage (DallasNews).

Do you have questions about an accident involving an Uber? Don’t allow liability gaps from a ridesharing app leave you vulnerable, call Carabin Shaw