# Insurance Question



## Commandant Lassard (Feb 17, 2019)

Hello,
My son recently started driving Uber and I have some questions about insurance. He is still on my auto policy, so what is my liability if he were to have an accident with serious passenger injuries? Do I have to let my insurance company know he is driving Uber? I understand Uber has $1 Million coverage. Is that just for liability or does it include fixing my son's car? Thanks for any help in advance...


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Commandant Lassard said:


> Do I have to let my insurance company know he is driving Uber?


Absofrigginlutely!!! And depending on the company, be prepared for them to say no way. Some of them don't provide rideshare coverage.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Commandant Lassard said:


> Hello,
> My son recently started driving Uber and I have some questions about insurance. He is still on my auto policy, so what is my liability if he were to have an accident with serious passenger injuries?


Assuming he is doing ALL of his rides on the app (as opposed to doing cash rides), Uber covers passengers in the car up to $1 million per accident...after a $1,000 deductible. IF passengers got a judgement against you for more than the $1 million (wouldn't be hard if he had 2-3 injured passengers), you could be liable.

If he does _cash_ rides, he would most likely be driving without ANY insurance and whoever the car is titled to would have total liability.


> Do I have to let my insurance company know he is driving Uber?


Depends on your insurance company. MANY insurance companies will CANCEL your insurance if they find out he's driving for Uber, because commercial driving is not covered. I would check in your state, see who writes either full commercial coverage or will add a rideshare endorsement, and then switch his car to that company.


> I understand Uber has $1 Million coverage. Is that just for liability or does it include fixing my son's car?


Depends on your state laws and who is at fault in the accident. If another driver is at fault, their insurance should cover your son's car -- assuming they HAVE insurance. If he is at fault, Uber's insurance should cover up to the policy limits, less the deductible. Also be advised that if he drives for Lyft, their deductible is $2,500.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Commandant Lassard said:


> Hello,
> My son recently started driving Uber and I have some questions about insurance. He is still on my auto policy, so what is my liability if he were to have an accident with serious passenger injuries? Do I have to let my insurance company know he is driving Uber? I understand Uber has $1 Million coverage. Is that just for liability or does it include fixing my son's car? Thanks for any help in advance...


https://www.uber.com/drive/insurance/
Some things to know...

If you don't have the vehicle covered for Collision and Comprehensive, neither will Uber. If the fault is found to be your son's, this comes into play. Considering how much more driving he'll be doing, how much distraction goes on with strangers in the car, and how much of a beating the car will get, the risk of accidents goes up.

$1,000 deductible. If the accident is someone else's fault, Uber's insurance will go after them for what they put out, but may or may not get your deductible for you. I've been hit twice by $<"(>,% morons while driving for Uber. For one accident, they got my deductible for me. For the other accident, they didn't and I had to chase it down myself.

Look, ANONYMOUSLY, for an insurance company that provides a Rideshare Endorsement (sometimes called Rideshare Gap). If you have this, you're good. If not, there is probably a condition in your current policy that the vehicle will not be used for commercial purposes. If they find out (and, at the very least, the mileage will make them highly suspicious), the entire policy for the household's cars may be cancelled for breach. Some of these policies also allow you to lower your Uber deductible to whatever it is on your personal policy. Uber says you have to pay $1,000, but your policy says only $500, so your policy gives you $500 to cover the difference.

Let me be crystal clear here.... the rideshare endorsement will more than pay for itself if there is an accident!

Have your son purchase the injury insurance that is offered through Uber. It costs less than $0.04/mile, but if he's injured on the job, it's his only coverage. Drivers are not employees, so there is no WC insurance.


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## Pax Collector (Feb 18, 2018)

Commandant Lassard said:


> He is still on my auto policy, so what is my liability if he were to have an accident with serious passenger injuries?


100% yours and your own since your insurance will refuse to cover you when they find out about your unauthorized commercia activities.

Best thing to do would be to let them know and get either a rideshare endorsement or a commercial policy.

It's against your insurance contract to use your car for commercial purposes while on a personal policy.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

See, an adult checking to see if a lifestyle change would affect his insurance coverage rather than thinking nothing of it until an accident occurs. Thats how you adult, although the proper thing to have done was to actually ask your insurance agent this question. He knows better than anyone what is covered by your policy and what your options are.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> If they find out (and, at the very least, the mileage will make them highly suspicious), the entire policy for the household's cars may be cancelled for breach.


How would your insurance company know anything about mileage? The only way I can think of is if they had access to the biannual state inspection records........which they might. I requested a quote from a different carrier last year to compare rates to the carrier that I have had for the last 7 or 8 years. It was an online quote. All I gave them was my name and address, and they came back with what kind of car I had (year, make, model), license plate number, VIN, etc. How did they get all that information just from my name and address? The only way I can think of is that they have access to the state registration database.....which I find kind of troubling. I don't like the idea that every insurance carrier out there that I don't do business with has access to my registration information.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

Commandant Lassard said:


> Hello,
> My son recently started driving Uber and I have some questions about insurance. He is still on my auto policy, so what is my liability if he were to have an accident with serious passenger injuries? Do I have to let my insurance company know he is driving Uber? I understand Uber has $1 Million coverage. Is that just for liability or does it include fixing my son's car? Thanks for any help in advance...


Some insurance companies have an optional rideshare gap coverage, which can be added to the regular policy they provide, for as low as around $6/month. I would look into that if I were you. I'm not 100% familiar with what it adds in terms of coverage, but if your company adds it then it's also clear that they're okay with you ridesharing, and won't drop their coverage if they find out.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> How would your insurance company know anything about mileage? The only way I can think of is if they had access to the biannual state inspection records........which they might. I requested a quote from a different carrier last year to compare rates to the carrier that I have had for the last 7 or 8 years. It was an online quote. All I gave them was my name and address, and they came back with what kind of car I had (year, make, model), license plate number, VIN, etc. How did they get all that information just from my name and address? The only way I can think of is that they have access to the state registration database.....which I find kind of troubling. I don't like the idea that every insurance carrier out there that I don't do business with has access to my registration information.


Registration has it.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

JimKE said:


> Uber covers passengers in the car up to $1 million per accident...after a $1,000 deductible.


There is no deductible for passengers under Uber's million dollar liability coverage. The $1000 deductible is for damage to an Uber driver's vehicle, IF the driver carries personal collision insurance and IF such coverage remains in effect after an at fault accident, but his insurer denies a claim for that accident due to ride share activities.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> Registration has it.


The mileage? If so, that would be at two-year intervals when you go through inspection (in New Jersey). I can't think of any other time when they would be able to get that data.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> The mileage? If so, that would be at two-year intervals when you go through inspection (in New Jersey). I can't think of any other time when they would be able to get that data.


Registration is every year. They ask for mileage.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> Registration is every year. They ask for mileage.


You're New Jersey too, right? They've never asked me for mileage for registration.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> You're New Jersey too, right? They've never asked me for mileage for registration.


And of course I can't find a sample of the card to be filled out. ::sigh::

I finally remembered this last time to actually check the odo reading before going in. Every year prior I would forget and have to go running back out to the car to find out.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> I finally remembered this last time to actually check the odo reading before going in. Every year prior I would forget and have to go running back out to the car to find out.


I do it by mail. They send you a card in the mail. You fill in your social security number and insurance information, sign it, write a check, and mail it back. A few weeks later, you get your new registration card in the mail. The only time I go to the DMV (or MVC or whatever NJ calls it) is for inspection and driver's license renewal.

I'm pretty absent minded, but I'm pretty sure I would remember having to read my odometer once a year.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> I do it by mail. They send you a card in the mail. You fill in your social security number and insurance information, sign it, write a check, and mail it back. A few weeks later, you get your new registration card in the mail. The only time I go to the DMV (or MVC or whatever NJ calls it) is for inspection and driver's license renewal.
> 
> I'm pretty absent minded, but I'm pretty sure I would remember having to read my odometer once a year.


Maybe it's different through the mail? I always lose the one they send in the mail, so go in. There's one office that, if you get there before 9:30 am during 2nd or 3rd week of the month, you can get in the Express Registration line and be done in about 15 minutes.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> Maybe it's different through the mail? I always lose the one they send in the mail, so go in. There's one office that, if you get there before 9:30 am during 2nd or 3rd week of the month, you can get in the Express Registration line and be done in about 15 minutes.


Maybe. I went in once. If you mail the card back, you have to do it a couple weeks before your registration expires to allow for processing time. One time I spaced and forgot until a couple days before it expired, so I had to go renew in person. I remember that trip happening, but I don't remember the details. I'm pretty sure that I filled out the card that they send you in the mail and took it with me.

Anyway, this isn't what this thread is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be about insurance stuff, and I derailed it.


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## KD_LA (Aug 16, 2017)

Someone likes "Police Academy" :biggrin:


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