# Accident while driving Lyft? That will cost you 200+ hours of driving.



## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Many of you already know this, but a few of you probably don't. Your personal insurance is void while driving rideshare (even if you are one of the few with a rider to help cover some gaps). When driving to a destination or driving a passenger, you're under Lyft's insurance umbrella. The deductible is a staggering $2500! Not a typo. $2500.

Based on the national average net-income of rideshare drivers being under $12/hour, should you have to make a claim against Lyft it will run you another 200+ hours of driving to cover the deductible--the equivalent of more than a month of full time income driving rideshare.

On another note, I wonder if anybody has ever made a claim against Lyft, paid that $2500, and continued to drive. In fact, the more I think about this deductible the more I think I will never turn my Lyft app on again. Uber's $1000 is bad enough, but $2500 is punitive and terrible.


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## Carbalbm (Jun 6, 2016)

If you are not at fault, you can get the deductible paid for by the other car's insurance. Generally, your own insurance (in this case Lyft), will waive the deductible if you are not found at fault.


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## cdm813 (Jan 9, 2017)

Carbalbm said:


> If you are not at fault, you can get the deductible paid for by the other car's insurance. Generally, your own insurance (in this case Lyft), will waive the deductible if you are not found at fault.


If you are not found at fault, the other insurance company pays the deductible. If they don't, you have to pay it and go after the other insurer to get paid back.


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## VietnamDriverinUSA (Oct 9, 2017)

Lyft làm ăn như con cặc người ta.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

at least on uber you can also go after lost badges as well


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## bmedle (Jul 19, 2017)

VietnamDriverinUSA said:


> Lyft làm ăn như con cặc người ta.


The Google translation of the Vietnamese reads as "Lyfts do eat like croissants." I guess I can agree with that. Uber seems more the donut-eating group.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Carbalbm said:


> If you are not at fault, you can get the deductible paid for by the other car's insurance. Generally, your own insurance (in this case Lyft), will waive the deductible if you are not found at fault.


Yes, you won't pay deductible if not at fault. But nobody is perfect. I would never accept a $2500 on my personal insurance. I shouldn't when driving even higher risk scenarios on unknown roads with strangers drunk in the back.


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## Carbalbm (Jun 6, 2016)

ShinyAndChrome said:


> Yes, you won't pay deductible if not at fault. But nobody is perfect. I would never accept a $2500 on my personal insurance. I shouldn't when driving even higher risk scenarios on unknown roads with strangers drunk in the back.


Yeah, but you also do not get $0 premiums on your personal insurance. Also, most personal insurance companies offer rideshare coverage. Pay the extra premium and you know have your deductible that you are comfortable with.

Out of all the reasons to choose between Lyft and Uber, this is not a good one.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Carbalbm said:


> Yeah, but you also do not get $0 premiums on your personal insurance. Also, most personal insurance companies offer rideshare coverage. Pay the extra premium and you know have your deductible that you are comfortable with.
> 
> Out of all the reasons to choose between Lyft and Uber, this is not a good one.


It is a good one.

1) In my state there is ONE company across the entire state (new york) that has a rideshare insurance rider.

2) Rideshare rider only helps give you comprehensive & collision coverage during phase 1. It won't lower your DEDUCTIBLE during phase 2 or 3. You are still on your own with lyft and uber's coverage in phase 2 & 3.

As an aside I guarantee you the vast, huge majority of drivers do not have any additional rider on their insurance. They just don't know any better.


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## uberlift (Sep 16, 2015)

Wait, I thought lyft cared so much about their drivers unlike uber, but uber's deductible is 1000$ and lyft's is 2500$? Hmmmmm.....has lyft been LYING all along about caring for their drivers?


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

uberlift said:


> Wait, I thought lyft cared so much about their drivers unlike uber, but uber's deductible is 1000$ and lyft's is 2500$? Hmmmmm.....has lyft been LYING all along about caring for their drivers?


As usual, it's a cost-savings measure for them. A $2500 deductible costs them way less than a $1000. I am surprised uber hasn't yet followed suit:
http://www.carinsurance.com/car-insurance-deductible.aspx


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

There's another issue with a Lyft accident. In the very brief time that I tried to do appraisals for TTA Appraisals, all of those appraisals were Lyft vehicles damaged in crashes. 

ALL of those vehicles had been sitting in the body shop lot for months and months waiting for Lyft (or their insurance company) to do something. If those vehicles were Lyft leases, I guess they just gave the driver a new car to drive. But one of them was clearly not a lease, and the owner had been waiting more than two months to have it repaired.


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## rickasmith98 (Sep 26, 2016)

This is so scary to me. In my state, there is no ability to get a rideshare hybrid or rider on your personal policy. So you will be canceled if they find out you drive for rideshare or canceled in the wake of an accident. Only option: you can get full commercial insurance, which is minimum $3K a year. In the small town I drive in, the volumes are not enough with over saturation of drivers, to justify the $3K premiums. If you do it full-time everyday, then you might get enough to cover it and have some left. 

Think last year I got $13K in cash from Uber but truthfully after expenses, depreciation, insurance, taxes, etc., it probably equated to a few hundred dollars net. But from a cash flow perspective, it is great and pays bills you have due today but it's going to bite you in the ass tomorrow as you will be much worse off unless you put 90% of what you brought home in an account to replace your worn out vehicle. 

Yet,not having commercial insurance or a legit rider is a huge risk if you have any assets. You could lose your home, heck everything you have but your retirement accounts.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Wait until you wreck, with passenger, and the other driver is at fault without insurance. Gap insurance won't help you. You will be on the hook for either $1000.00(Uber) or $2500.00(Lyft). 

I've been there. Stolen vehicle from out of state totalled my car. Driver fled the scene on foot. I got bent over by JRI!


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## Elmo Burrito (Feb 3, 2017)

I have a rideshare rider that covers any deductible amount over $500


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Elmo Burrito said:


> I have a rideshare rider that covers any deductible amount over $500


Mine is at $250. While you have a passenger in the car the gap insurance is off. James River Insurance is the coverage. Their deductible is what you are going to pay. Gap insurance only covers before(accepted trip request) and after dropping off pax.


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## PTUber (Sep 16, 2015)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> Wait until you wreck, with passenger, and the other driver is at fault without insurance. Gap insurance won't help you. You will be on the hook for either $1000.00(Uber) or $2500.00(Lyft).
> 
> I've been there. Stolen vehicle from out of state totalled my car. Driver fled the scene on foot. I got bent over by JRI!


No you got bent over by a car thief that ran away.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

PTUber said:


> No you got bent over by a car thief that ran away.


True. My point is, you are covered by JRI, just don't expect it to be great coverage. It is minimal coverage at best.


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## PTUber (Sep 16, 2015)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> True. My point is, you are covered by JRI, just don't expect it to be great coverage. It is minimal coverage at best.


BTW I'm sorry to hear that happened to you that really sucks!


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## Elmo Burrito (Feb 3, 2017)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> Mine is at $250. While you have a passenger in the car the gap insurance is off. James River Insurance is the coverage. Their deductible is what you are going to pay. Gap insurance only covers before(accepted trip request) and after dropping off pax.


Mine covers as stated. My insurance does not write the check to JR Raiser (whatever) they write me a check for the deductible difference. Lyft (2K) uber ($500) That's if it's my fault or other party denies the claim and I file a claim with Ubers/Lyfts insurance co.


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

ShinyAndChrome said:


> 2) Rideshare rider only helps give you comprehensive & collision coverage during phase 1. It won't lower your DEDUCTIBLE during phase 2 or 3. You are still on your own with lyft and uber's coverage in phase 2 & 3.


Not true in California with State Farm, with their rider your personal deductible is used and they fill the gap. YMMV


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

If i have an at falt accident while on the job at the cab company..

It's 200 shifts at $5 a shift to pay off the deductible.

It can take a year to pay it off, but $5 a day paid over a year or more.. (depending on how many shifts you work) that's not so bad.

$5 off a days earnings... that's not at all unreasonable.


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