# Don't waste your money on insurance...



## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


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## grabby (Nov 5, 2017)

Thank you for taking the intelligence test!

Have you any other fools wisdom to share?


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

Wouldn’t the passenger say she was an Uber passenger, therefore you are the Uber driver. 

That Uber driver hit my kid !!!

What Uber driver, my app is off, checkmate lady !!


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## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

Irishjohn831 said:


> Wouldn't the passenger say she was an Uber passenger, therefore you are the Uber driver.
> 
> That Uber driver hit my kid !!!
> 
> What Uber driver, my app is off, checkmate lady !!


At least you will be covered that way. Better idea is idk. Pay attention and don't get in an accident that is your fault.


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## jaystonepk (Oct 30, 2017)

The thing about accidents is that they're, well, accidental. Even the safest driver in the world could have someone not paying attention t-bone them at any given moment. Some are willing to take the risk, others are not. Full-time drivers probably less so as their risk is higher the longer they are on the road. However, full-timers are more likely to be able to offset the cost of commercial insurance with their earnings versus someone only driving 1-2 days a week. I myself would love to have the option of a rideshare rider, or gap coverage, just so that my stress level during phase 1 isn't so high.


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## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

There is a risk vs reward for everything. To me if I'm going to take the risk of driving all day for money, why would i spend a big chunk of it just to limit a small part of that risk. I probably won't change anyone's mind, but if you are that worried about taking risks then maybe this isn't the right job for you


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## Seattle_Wayne (Feb 1, 2018)

Except when you do have a few near misses and eventually plow into someone because you're trying to accept a ping or you're looking for a street name, and you have no insurance and the party you smashed into decides to sue you and make you pay all their $75k medical bills...but that never happens, so you're good.


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## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

Seattle_Wayne said:


> Except when you do have a few near misses and eventually plow into someone because you're trying to accept a ping or you're looking for a street name, and you have no insurance and the party you smashed into decides to sue you and make you pay all their $75k medical bills...but that never happens, so you're good.


Or someone could hit you and then you die. Then your insurance won't do you much good. If I put all the money it would cost for commercial insurance in the bank instead it wouldn't take many years to get to 75k. If you can't accept a ping safely don't do it. If you use your gps it will tell you where the street is. Maybe you need the insurance because you don't know how to drive safely.


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## grabby (Nov 5, 2017)

Op Must be lilCindy's sibling


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## bender953 (Feb 4, 2016)

"Um no officer I'm not an Uber....I just picked that lady up from some corner" {goes over like lead balloon}


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## Seattle_Wayne (Feb 1, 2018)

awesomeName said:


> Or someone could hit you and then you die. Then your insurance won't do you much good. If I put all the money it would cost for commercial insurance in the bank instead it wouldn't take many years to get to 75k. If you can't accept a ping safely don't do it. If you use your gps it will tell you where the street is. Maybe you need the insurance because you don't know how to drive safely.


I have insurance because I'm not willing to spend my own money on vehicle repairs or someone else's medical bills for an accident. If you're that deep with money, then good for you. Even the safest drivers have accidents, fella. And it may be someone else running into you. And if they don't have any insurance... well...


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## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

To be completely honest if I could drive legally without any insurance at all I would. All the money I have given to insurance companies I would have a nice fat bank account. I don't understand why even if you have a million dollar bank account you still need car insurance in my state. Makes no sense if you have the money to cover your liability. Then if you don't need to use it you get to keep it instead of giving it to some blood sucking insurance company.


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


If you were penniless and old I can see your logic if you own a home are married have a real job or are young you would be gambling on your life long financial stability and possibly destroying your next 40 years of wages over a few hundred dollars a year.


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## awesomeName (Feb 17, 2018)

Seattle_Wayne said:


> I have insurance because I'm not willing to spend my own money on vehicle repairs or someone else's medical bills for an accident. If you're that deep with money, then good for you. Even the safest drivers have accidents, fella. And it may be someone else running into you. And if they don't have any insurance... well...


That is exactly what I mean though, you are using your own money, you already gave it to the insurance companies over several years. You just no longer have control over the money some company does. I guess for some people that can't leave a savings account alone not having control is better. I can understand that, but for me, hell no.



Mole said:


> If you were penniless and old I can see your logic if you own a home are married have a real job or are young you would be gambling on your life long financial stability and possibly destroying your next 40 years of wages over a few hundred dollars a year.


a few hundred a year? yea idk maybe if you saw what my quote was between commercial and non commercial you would think different


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

awesomeName said:


> That is exactly what I mean though, you are using your own money, you already gave it to the insurance companies over several years. You just no longer have control over the money some company does. I guess for some people that can't leave a savings account alone not having control is better. I can understand that, but for me, hell no.
> 
> a few hundred a year? yea idk maybe if you saw what my quote was between commercial and non commercial you would think different


Mine cost $400 a year $34 extra a month


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## guffy515255 (Jan 3, 2018)

If youre driving Uber and get in an accident arent u covered by the Uber insurance? I always assumed that was the case lol. But I clearly never thoroughly researched it, and in reality have no idea. Yes Im very irresponsible.

Ive given about 1000 rides so far with no commercial insurance assuming I was under Uber coverage while carrying a passenger. Im sure theres a good possibility thats completely wrong and Im an idiot


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

guffy515255 said:


> If youre driving Uber and get in an accident arent u covered by the Uber insurance? I always assumed that was the case lol. But I clearly never thoroughly researched it, and in reality have no idea. Yes Im very irresponsible.
> 
> Ive given about 1000 rides so far with no commercial insurance assuming I was under Uber coverage while carrying a passenger. Im sure theres a good possibility thats completely wrong and Im an idiot


1) Yes, while you are transporting Uber passengers under an Uber ride assigned to you, you are covered.
2) When you get into an accident (while doing and Uber ride) your personal insurance that you have your personal car insurance with will find out and will cancel the policy based upon fraud. Why?
3) You committed fraud when you accepted the personal insurance policy on your vehicle which within the policy specificly states that you will NOT USE the covered vehicle for commercial purposes.
4) You should/must contact your personal insurance company and have them add a "rideshare" amendment or endorsement which will then allow you to use the vehicle for commercial rideshare purposes, but will not provide insurance coverage for those purpose. And yes, this costs money.
5) Or you can purchase commercial insurance which will completely fully cover you with the addition of Uber's provided insurance during an Uber ride.

And yes, this information and has been published on this site over and over and over. Most people just like to ignore it.

Oh, it takes out of what little we make? Well, if everyone played by the rules, Uber would be forced to raise the rates.


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## grabby (Nov 5, 2017)

Persons who do not have proper insurance get what they deserve.


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## guffy515255 (Jan 3, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> 1) Yes, while you are transporting Uber passengers under an Uber ride assigned to you, you are covered.
> 2) When you get into an accident (while doing and Uber ride) your personal insurance that you have your personal car insurance with will find out and will cancel the policy based upon fraud. Why?
> 3) You committed fraud when you accepted the personal insurance policy on your vehicle which within the policy specificly states that you will NOT USE the covered vehicle for commercial purposes.
> 4) You should/must contact your personal insurance company and have them add a "rideshare" amendment or endorsement which will then allow you to use the vehicle for commercial rideshare purposes, but will not provide insurance coverage for those purpose. And yes, this costs money.
> ...


Thank you for all the info. I do plan on getting my insurance up to date and legit for rideshare, and soon.

I only have plpd on my Uber car, can rideshare insurance be added onto a plpd policy?


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

guffy515255 said:


> I only have plpd on my Uber car, can rideshare insurance be added onto a plpd policy?


If anyone is operating a vehicle with only the bare legal minimum required insurance, you need to rethink how you use your vehicle. As far as I am concerned, having a PLPD policy only is a joke and is showing that a person is not serious about understanding the risks and responsibilities of operating a motor vehicle.


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## guffy515255 (Jan 3, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> If anyone is operating a vehicle with only the bare legal minimum required insurance, you need to rethink how you use your vehicle. As far as I am concerned, having a PLPD policy only is a joke and is showing that a person is not serious about understanding the risks and responsibilities of operating a motor vehicle.


I think each person should make their own decision regarding their insurance needs is what I think. I did not say anything about having bare legal minimum insurance, I said I have a PLPD policy, which offers varying levels of coverage in terms of liability for another persons injuries and/or property damage. It does not automatically mean bare minimum coverage.

My auto insurance policy meets my needs for driving a car that is worth $7500, tyvm. My health insurance provides excellent coverage for injuries I may suffer in a car accident. My life insurance has very adequate coverage for some other things that may not be covered by PLPD, such as funeral expenses. In the highly unlikely event that my car is totaled in my town of 15,000 people then Im out $7500, the worth of the car. Ill buy another one, with cash, and Ill still be way ahead of the game as a 48 year old driver that hasn't blindly paid for full coverage insurance on a disposable vehicle for decades.

To sum up, I will decide what my needs are. Not some clown on a message board that has no clue about my situation and/0r financial standing.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

guffy515255 said:


> To sum up, I will decide what my needs are. Not some clown on a message board that has no clue about my situation and/0r financial standing.


Since personal auto insurance for other items besides PLPD is a very small amount compared to PLPD, most people that get a PLPD policy do so to only spend the amount of money legally required. If you are living in a small rural community where having a PLPD with proper limits, not bare minimums, makes sense, then more power to you.

However, the second you started doing rideshare services, that is the second your opinion no longer counts, it is the health and welfare and concern for the protection of everyone else that matters.


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## guffy515255 (Jan 3, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> Since personal auto insurance for other items besides PLPD is a very small amount compared to PLPD, most people that get a PLPD policy do so to only spend the amount of money legally required. If you are living in a small rural community where having a PLPD with proper limits, not bare minimums, makes sense, then more power to you.
> 
> However, the second you started doing rideshare services, that is the second your opinion no longer counts, it is the health and welfare and concern for the protection of everyone else that matters.


Well thats certainly an interesting OPINION u have there lol. Let me guess, your opinion does matter?


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

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


In some states insurance companies are legally allowed to inquire with Uber/Lyft about online/offline status to determine coverage limits and even deny coverage.

And i don't recommend a commercial policy. I do however recommend a policy that actually allows you to drive for Uber and Lyft.

2 completely different things.

And having an accident with passengers injuries isn't so far fetched that it's unheard of.

Uber's insurance is aweful and I wouldn't depend on it to get you through anything. Your risking your car on vague technicalities. There's a lot of risk and accidents happen.

Driving full time increases the number of miles you drive a year by 5 or 6 times over while increasing the time behind the wheel by 8 or 10 times over.

Realalatically your experiencing the risk of driving for 40 years in the space of 5 years or so.

3 or 4 accidents in 40 years isn't out of the question.

A couple accidents in 5 years of taxi/Uber driving isn't out of the question.

Almost every single cab driver I know has had something happen to them.

I watched someone rip the bumper off my car in a 711 parking lot while I was parked.

I got hit and run at 8:00 am on a busy street at red light.

I've narrowly dodged more insane drivers than I can possibly imangine.

Expect to get into an accident, then be thankful you didn't.


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

BigJohn said:


> 1) Yes, while you are transporting Uber passengers under an Uber ride assigned to you, you are covered.
> 2) When you get into an accident (while doing and Uber ride) your personal insurance that you have your personal car insurance with will find out and will cancel the policy based upon fraud. Why?
> 3) You committed fraud when you accepted the personal insurance policy on your vehicle which within the policy specificly states that you will NOT USE the covered vehicle for commercial purposes.
> 4) You should/must contact your personal insurance company and have them add a "rideshare" amendment or endorsement which will then allow you to use the vehicle for commercial rideshare purposes, but will not provide insurance coverage for those purpose. And yes, this costs money.
> ...


Heck I was making the same assumptions Guppy was making until reading up on it on these forums. I think I drove 750ish rides since August and I just now had Rideshare added on to my existing auto insurance. It was only $31 a month more and it went into effect Friday morning at midnight. Later that day during the afternoon and during a surge I almost got into an accident on S Rampart St. downtown when an idiot with no tail light stopped short in the left line all of a sudden. I was able to get in the right lane just in the nick of time. Even though I was technically covered had I gotten in that accident it would have looked awfully suspicious seeing how I've been signed up and driving with Uber for over 6 months and I just now got the insurance and then I just got into an accident on the same day the policy went into affect.

Anyways, I believe it is very dangerous not to have rideshare added to your insurance package. I'm willing to pay the extra 30 bucks a month in case a drunk driver plows into me. I'll just treat it like an extra tank of gas. And this insurance expense is a write off so there's really no reason not to comply. Unless you like living on the wild side being one bad accident away from claiming bankruptcy and/or ruining the rest of your life. If you enjoy that adrenaline rush then go right ahead. I had no idea I was flirting with that scenario but now I know and know I'm covered.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Cdub2k said:


> And this insurance expense is a write off so there's really no reason not to comply.


Are you claiming actual operating expenses? If you're using the IRS standard mileage rate, insurance is included, from what I read in their Pub. 510.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


In CA, if you have a TCP license (livery license) and commercial insurance, you'll keep the service fee, and if you do 25 trips per shift average, it will be more than enough to cover the insurance, in fact, you'll come out pretty far ahead of the extra expense, so if I were planning on driving more permanently, I would be going this route.

But, when you are driving for Uber, you don't need commercial insurance, but you do need an insurer that will allow Uber drivers, and you might pay a little extra, but if you don't, you are not covered, your insurance company will drop you if they find out you defrauded them.
I am with Mercury, and their policy was an extra $15 per month over what I used to pay with State Farm, and Mercury allows for Uber. State Farm wanted more than this.

If you lie to officers, courts, insurance claims people, you are committing a crime.

You'd be surprised what the claims department and their lawyers/P.I.s etc., can dig up on you if they suspect you are not telling the truth.


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## amirali888 (Mar 5, 2018)

To be honest, I don't believe on Insurance. According to me if anyone have strong believe on God then no need anything.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

amirali888 said:


> To be honest, I don't believe on Insurance. According to me if anyone have strong believe on God then no need anything.


So I guess you don't use seat belts, don't have a drivers license, don't lock the doors on your house at night, never get sick, etc so on and so forth.

But thanks for trolling.


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

amirali888 said:


> To be honest, I don't believe on Insurance. According to me if anyone have strong believe on God then no need anything.


On the 8th day god said..

Let there be..

Doctors
Nurses
Police
firefighters
Insurance
Tow truck drivers
Locks
Security systems

I believe that god isn't just the one performing miraculous things, but he is also the divine inspiration that gives first responders the courage to run into the fire.

Once I laid dying praying for a miracle, but instead of Angels god sent me a medevac Helicopter with a red cross on the side. And i knew my prayers were answered.


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## pismire (May 2, 2017)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


Troll


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## iamscharles (Sep 26, 2015)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


 Farmers Insurance provides an additional rider for those blackout periods not driving on your Uber app.


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

Jesus


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Had a cab


jaystonepk said:


> The thing about accidents is that they're, well, accidental. Even the safest driver in the world could have someone not paying attention t-bone them at any given moment. Some are willing to take the risk, others are not. Full-time drivers probably less so as their risk is higher the longer they are on the road. However, full-timers are more likely to be able to offset the cost of commercial insurance with their earnings versus someone only driving 1-2 days a week. I myself would love to have the option of a rideshare rider, or gap coverage, just so that my stress level during phase 1 isn't so high.


Had a cab , a Large Van , run a stop sign and damn near t bone me.
4 passengers.
Saw it coming. I hit brakes . saw 3 passengers in back go " weightless" and float forward . . .
Let off brakes before they Smacked seat back. Reapplied brakes.
No one injured.
No wreck.
But it was DAMN CLOSE !

TOO DAMN CLOSE.

I Always watch rear view like a Hawk.have avoided many rear end collisions that way. People on cellphone. Not watching . . . wrecks can happen any time !

YOUR ATTITUDE ( Original Poster- awesome Name) WILL PROBABLY LEAD TO ONE !


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## Negg (Jun 26, 2019)

TNC insurance is getting cheaper. I pay $650 full coverage with TNC every 6 months. $30 more then standard coverage


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


I only recommend you buy commercial insurance if your planning on doing private off the app fares. Any other situation you NEED ride share insurance, which is much much closer to the cost of regular insurance.

And the issues arise when you have a passenger, and you _*don't*_ have an active uber trip. THIS is when you get hammered.

I've calculated the risks, people are just too damn horrible of drivers for me to risk any of my assets (like my house) gambling on things not happening.

And as uber continues to increase customer cost without increasing driver pay, the payoff from doing private (bypassing uber/lyft) becomes higher and higher.

If uber is taking 66% of every fare you can take 35% of the customer cost and your still making double what you would if you went through the app.

Uber/lyft are making it deadly apparent that they want to choke every dime out of the fares as they possibly can. The motivation to get commercial insurance will only climb as they do.

I see a future (in the very near future) where uber/lyft drivers are making *3/4ths* of their revenue on the _*half*_ of the fares they skim off uber.

Here's how the math works.

Uber charges the customer $20, but pays you $8.

You offer the customer a return trip for $12 off app.

Everyone wins but uber.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

iamscharles said:


> Farmers Insurance provides an additional rider for those blackout periods not driving on your Uber app.





awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


You could probably skirt though. But I wouldn't, you'd be surprised what might happen with the going gets rough. Question's they ask, shit you didn't thnk about, inconsistencies which spur more questions. The problem is when things really heat up, you're sued, sitting in a courtroom, and you are getting grilled on why you lied blah blah blah.

Then the court throws the book at you, your "insurance" flies out the window, and you lose your house because now you are liable.

Now, if you don't own a house, don't worry, you'll just owe a lot of money, or you won't be sued because you don't own anything. But, if you have assets to protect, I recommend never never never lying on legal documents and keep your insurance square. Having good insurance has saved my butt on more than one occasion (and I do own a house). I do everything on the up and up, it's the only way to fly


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

OP is an idiot.

Driving without insurance is stupid. Driving rideshare without insurance is just plan ignorance... Please send screenshots of the lawsuit when it happens so we can all get a good laugh.


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## O-Side Uber (Jul 26, 2017)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


I used to think that way too. I found out there is some sort of registry that Lyft and Uber have. Your personal insurance can check if you were ridesharing with either company.

For me the risk is in the fact that I have 4+ years of car payments left. If I get into an accident, and the claim isn't paid because Lyft talked to my insurance company, I will be screwed. That's a risk I can't take.

I signed up with Geico commercial. Lyft actually pays me an extra $.25 commercial insurance credit on each ride I do. Shared rides count also, each pax .25 cents extra.

So I'm essentially paying the same price that I was before with my other insurance company I had, but I have no worries whatsoever that I will get denied by Lyft or Geico. These companies do talk to each other .

I heard a story from a pax that used to drive for U/L. He said he was downtown dropping a group off, and one of the pax opened the wrong door and a car hit his door.

He had apparently ended the ride just as that happened, so Lyft wouldn't cover it. He just planned to go through his own insurance, no big deal right????????

Well after exchanging info, the other driver tells the dude's insurance company that he was a U/L driver!!!!! His insurance dropped him on the spot and denied the claim. He had to pay for the repairs all on his own! That's how THAT can go to shit rrrrrrreal quick!!!


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## Ballermaris (Apr 11, 2019)

Ok joy we have found Trump’s twin with an IQ of -200. Always have insurance; many states have a license plate reader system on many patrol cars. Cops will 180 and nail you fast.
Impound car? ✅
Multiple tickets issued? ✅
Removal from platform in violation of TOS? ✅✅✅ and ✅.
Learn how to ride bicycle again to get to court.


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## wicked (Sep 24, 2017)

Easily worst advice I have ever seen on here. Insurance companies first and foremost are looking for ways to deny your claim. Driving TNC at the time of an accident and lying about it is insurance fraud and a one way ticket to claim denial.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

I have the Rideshare add-on to my insurance (only adds $30 or so). But I've had a similar thought: after getting a ping, while driving to the pickup, if someone t-bones me, I'm in "period 2", and my insurance does not cover me; Uber's "James River" insurance does. From reading some reports (like https://uberpeople.net/threads/james-river-insurance.319642/ ), it looks like you really don't want to deal with James River. In fact, you may need to hire a lawyer, just to get your claim processed through them.

But... I could tell my own insurer that I had quit driving Uber, and was back in period 0. Perhaps my insurer would ask Uber if I was on-line. I doubt that Uber would cooperate without a subpoena (why would Uber try to prove that you were online and covered by their own insurance?).

Not saying that I'd falsely claim to be in period 0, but I do know that I don't want to ever have to work with James River. Perhaps a better solution is to switch to State Farm: ( https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/auto/coverage-options/rideshare-insurance ). Note that State Farm's collision/comprehensive insurance carries over into periods 2 and 3, so the only thing that would go to James River is liability.


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## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Ignatowski said:


> I have the Rideshare add-on to my insurance (only adds $30 or so). But I've had a similar thought: after getting a ping, while driving to the pickup, if someone t-bones me, I'm in "period 2", and my insurance does not cover me; Uber's "James River" insurance does. From reading some reports (like https://uberpeople.net/threads/james-river-insurance.319642/ ), it looks like you really don't want to deal with James River. In fact, you may need to hire a lawyer, just to get your claim processed through them.
> 
> But... I could tell my own insurer that I had quit driving Uber, and was back in period 0. Perhaps my insurer would ask Uber if I was on-line. I doubt that Uber would cooperate without a subpoena (why would Uber try to prove that you were online and covered by their own insurance?).
> 
> Not saying that I'd falsely claim to be in period 0, but I do know that I don't want to ever have to work with James River. Perhaps a better solution is to switch to State Farm: ( https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/auto/coverage-options/rideshare-insurance ). Note that State Farm's collision/comprehensive insurance carries over into periods 2 and 3, so the only thing that would go to James River is liability.


In other words, you like the idea of playing Russian Roulette.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Irishjohn831 said:


> Wouldn't the passenger say she was an Uber passenger, therefore you are the Uber driver.
> 
> That Uber driver hit my kid !!!
> 
> What Uber driver, my app is off, checkmate lady !!


I'm betting that when your insurance company investigates the claim (and they will investigate) they will find that you drive commercially and they will deny the claim. And I'd bet that your passenger will also file a claim with Uber which they will also deny. So now it's all on you. Good luck with that


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## Cassiopeia (Sep 2, 2019)

Rideshare ndorsements aren't always that expensive. >>>> $200 a year for some people


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

awesomeName said:


> Or someone could hit you and then you die. Then your insurance won't do you much good. If I put all the money it would cost for commercial insurance in the bank instead it wouldn't take many years to get to 75k. If you can't accept a ping safely don't do it. If you use your gps it will tell you where the street is. Maybe you need the insurance because you don't know how to drive safely.


I don't think anybody here recommends commercial insurance. Unless you plan to do cash rides
My commercial insurance costs me $5000/yr. Before I had commercial insurance, geico cost me $1000. So the difference is $4000 or a little better than $300 a month or about $80/ week

I figured Two private rides a week would pay for my insurance. I got it paid for by July


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## Mordred (Feb 3, 2018)

Insurance in general is a scam. It comes out automatically every month so we tend to forget the cost. If the average person took the money that they pay to insurance premiums and deductibles and just put it in a bank account they'd be able to cover those expenses out of their own pocket and have a ton of money left over to spend on themselves.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

Mordred said:


> Insurance in general is a scam. It comes out automatically every month so we tend to forget the cost. If the average person took the money that they pay to insurance premiums and deductibles and just put it in a bank account they'd be able to cover those expenses out of their own pocket and have a ton of money left over to spend on themselves.


Ummmm no.... Cuz when u get sued for a quarter of a million for damages... Your savings ain't gonna cut it.


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## Mordred (Feb 3, 2018)

Dekero said:


> Ummmm no.... Cuz when u get sued for a quarter of a million for damages... Your savings ain't gonna cut it.


How many people get sued for a quarter million? Or anything remotely close to that? Kinda like getting struck by lightning. Very rare.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

Mordred said:


> How many people get sued for a quarter million? Or anything remotely close to that? Kinda like getting struck by lightning. Very rare.


Ok then 50k either way your UBER savings ain't gonna cover it... Good luck.


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## MajorBummer (Aug 10, 2019)

Here in Mass we dont have too many options for gap insurance,but i just switched to Allstate and it cost me a whopping $ 20 extra for the year for the rideshare endorsement.I call that a well worth investment and i dont have to worry that my old insurance would kick me off because they didn t offer it.Period 1 your car is NOT covered with Uber or lyft,now i have peace of mind.


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## Mordred (Feb 3, 2018)

Dekero said:


> Ok then 50k either way your UBER savings ain't gonna cover it... Good luck.


The average person.. I don't know anyone who knows anyone who's been sued at all. It's purely hypothetical of course due to the fact that driving without insurance is illegal.


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## Chorch (May 17, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


How are they going to find out? Well... let me tell you a story....

I was driving. Got rear-ended. I call my insurance and tell them what happened. The accident goes into public records. Now Uber knows I crashed and files a report about the accident, even if you didn't use their insurance (Uber makes you take pictures of your car to know the condition of it, and to know if you can keep working. You are not allowed online until you do this). Now the report Uber filed is part of public records. Your insurance picks that up. Now your insurance knows you drive for Uber and asks you to send them the logs on Uber (times you logged in and logged off).

Good luck.

I know this story and process is true because I am the one who experienced it.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

oldfart said:


> I don't think anybody here recommends commercial insurance. Unless you plan to do cash rides
> My commercial insurance costs me $5000/yr. Before I had commercial insurance, geico cost me $1000. So the difference is $4000 or a little better than $300 a month or about $80/ week
> 
> I figured Two private rides a week would pay for my insurance. I got it paid for by July


AS uber/lyft increase customer Cost without increasing driver pay the motivation to do cash rides skyrockets.

As it is...

The motivation to cut side deals is pretty decent currently, if the cut that uber takes increases it will become _easier_ to make _even better_ side deals.

$100 on lyft?

How about $70 cash or Square?

If lyft is taking 30% this isn't a deal the driver will take, but the customer will in a heartbeat.

$100 on lyft?

How about $70 cash or Square?

If lyft takes 50% it's a no brainier for either party.

And commercial insurance will pay for itself very quickly.

Plus if you get into an accident you can not bother going through uber.


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## nonononodrivethru (Mar 25, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


It literally costs you $2 a day. Your first 6 block trip pays for the coverage for the day.


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## welikecamping (Nov 27, 2018)

awesomeName said:


> There is a risk vs reward for everything. To me if I'm going to take the risk of driving all day for money, why would i spend a big chunk of it just to limit a small part of that risk. I probably won't change anyone's mind, but if you are that worried about taking risks then maybe this isn't the right job for you


Um, yeah. You really need to think through this "risk vs reward" idea. If it was just you, your car and your life, that is your business. But it's not, is it. Then, to go on and advise people to lie? sigh.

p.s. - I smell a troll.



Mordred said:


> How many people get sued for a quarter million? Or anything remotely close to that? Kinda like getting struck by lightning. Very rare.


Um, not that rare. You do see all those television ads for accident attorneys, right? Ever wonder how they make their money? My daughter was involved in a minor accident where she was at fault. After checking our insurance coverage, the other driver suddenly developed debilitating back pain that significantly decreased his quality of life and he lawyered up. Insurance co was willing to settle for a reasonable claim, but his lawyer decided to push for arbitration for a greater amount, which he won, but our insurance appealed and it went to a jury trial. Lawyer eventually upped the claim to $40k plus. Too bad State Farm had a better lawyer. Dude lost everything.


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## jeanocelot (Sep 2, 2016)

Mole said:


> If you were penniless and old I can see your logic if you own a home are married have a real job or are young you would be gambling on your life long financial stability and possibly destroying your next 40 years of wages over a few hundred dollars a year.


What if you arrange your financial affairs so that you are easily bankruptible? I am in a such a position, so I just have minimum liability.


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## Tony73 (Oct 12, 2016)

jeanocelot said:


> What if you arrange your financial affairs so that you are easily bankruptible? I am in a such a position, so I just have minimum liability.


you're pretty good.


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

jeanocelot said:


> What if you arrange your financial affairs so that you are easily bankruptible? I am in a such a position, so I just have minimum liability.


There are many instances where a Lawsuit is not bankruptable. In any accident where you are at fault, you cannot go bankrupt on that judgment. You just get to give up 70% of all your earnings the rest of your life.

I carry both a RS gap coverage policy that costs me $19 a month. It protects me and my business for those grey areas in time while ridesharing. I also have a commercial policy that covers my growing cash / private livery business. It cost me $113 a month, so all in above my personal policies I spend $132 a month on insuring myself while out there driving with a bunch of distracted morons.


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## Merc49 (Apr 30, 2019)

My insurance company just told me im insured by them until i turn on the app. Then uber states that only coverage by them is when a rider is in the car. So the time you are sitting or driving to wait for the next passenger is not covered by either so im looking into commercial insurance.


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## AsleepAtTheWheel (Nov 17, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


I like this. So you are saying I can hit a kid for free? I hate kids. I really like where you are coming from.


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## Ms.Doe (Apr 15, 2016)

Amos69 said:


> There are many instances where a Lawsuit is not bankruptable. In any accident where you are at fault, you cannot go bankrupt on that judgment. You just get to give up 70% of all your earnings the rest of your life.
> 
> I carry both a RS gap coverage policy that costs me $19 a month. It protects me and my business for those grey areas in time while ridesharing. I also have a commercial policy that covers my growing cash / private livery business. It cost me $113 a month, so all in above my personal policies I spend $132 a month on insuring myself while out there driving with a bunch of distracted morons.


What company do you use?


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## welikecamping (Nov 27, 2018)

I hate insurance. All sorts of insurance. It is, more or less a huge scam, but it is also a necessary evil.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time?


Insurance companies hire people who are called "Claims Adjusters". They are pretty low on the food chain, and are often looking to move up and they try to look for reasons to deny claims- particularly big dollar claims. That's their value to the company. If they can reduce the amount that Allstate has to pay from $50,000 to zero, that's great for them. So they investigate. Calling Uber is probably one of their first steps.

Sure, if it is a small claim, fender bender or something, you might be able to get away with your scheme. But for any substantial amount of money, they will take a look at it. Remember this here too, it only takes a minute for that snooty Geico lizard to ring up Uber. Even a lazy claims adjuster is likely to have you dead to rights.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

I’m not an attorney, but I Googled this subject, and the only reference I could find to judgements resulting from a motor vehicle accident not being discharged through bankruptcy involved drunk driving.


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## John McYeet (Feb 10, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


I see where your coming from but I've thought the same way about insurance before I had my motorcycle wreck (I know not Uber related but insurance related). Almost lost my life and luckily my personal insurance took good care of me. Unfortunately you have to prepare for the worst to happen because if you don't and something happens, that's when you'll wish you did.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

guffy515255 said:


> I think each person should make their own decision regarding their insurance needs is what I think. I did not say anything about having bare legal minimum insurance, I said I have a PLPD policy, which offers varying levels of coverage in terms of liability for another persons injuries and/or property damage. It does not automatically mean bare minimum coverage.
> 
> My auto insurance policy meets my needs for driving a car that is worth $7500, tyvm. My health insurance provides excellent coverage for injuries I may suffer in a car accident. My life insurance has very adequate coverage for some other things that may not be covered by PLPD, such as funeral expenses. In the highly unlikely event that my car is totaled in my town of 15,000 people then Im out $7500, the worth of the car. Ill buy another one, with cash, and Ill still be way ahead of the game as a 48 year old driver that hasn't blindly paid for full coverage insurance on a disposable vehicle for decades.
> 
> To sum up, I will decide what my needs are. Not some clown on a message board that has no clue about my situation and/0r financial standing.


Have you thoroughly checked your health and life insurance to see if they cover you when you're operating a commercial vehicle? Many policies have exceptions for that.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

This is one of my favorite threads on UP.

I am upgrading commercial auto insurance this week to reduce my risk.


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## Buck-a-mile (Nov 2, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> I've been lurking here for a little while and keep seeing people say to buy commercial insurance. Yea right. This would make nothing if I had to pay for that. Insurance companies are a total rip off. Here is an idea. Why don't you just lie? If you have a passenger you are covered anyway. If you don't have one, how in the hell is anyone going to prove you were driving for Uber at the time? Even if you ended the trip, and then hit your passengers kid coming out of their driveway you can say that was your last drop off and at that point you are commuting... If you disagree, tell me how they could ever prove otherwise. I guarantee someone will come up with something, except it will be so unlikely of a situation that it's worth the risk. You risk dying every day by getting in to a vehicle, yet you are worried about these super unlikely possibilities that might cost you an insurance policy. Whoopdedoo! Take some calculated risks in life.


This had all happened a thousand times. You Uber driver always gets found out. Passenger Rats 100% of the time through the application.


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## Tampa Bay Hauler (May 2, 2019)

jaystonepk said:


> The thing about accidents is that they're, well, accidental. Even the safest driver in the world could have someone not paying attention t-bone them at any given moment. Some are willing to take the risk, others are not. Full-time drivers probably less so as their risk is higher the longer they are on the road. However, full-timers are more likely to be able to offset the cost of commercial insurance with their earnings versus someone only driving 1-2 days a week. I myself would love to have the option of a rideshare rider, or gap coverage, just so that my stress level during phase 1 isn't so high.


- I'm with you. You don't plan accidents. I carry rideshare insurance. It cost me about $16 per month. I don't want to be on call 24/7 as a personal driver, so I don't need commercial insurance. If I was going to do private rides I would have it. Being able to sleep at night is a wonderful thing.


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## Mtbsrfun (May 25, 2019)

awesomeName said:


> To be completely honest if I could drive legally without any insurance at all I would. All the money I have given to insurance companies I would have a nice fat bank account. I don't understand why even if you have a million dollar bank account you still need car insurance in my state. Makes no sense if you have the money to cover your liability. Then if you don't need to use it you get to keep it instead of giving it to some blood sucking insurance company.


My state doesn't require insurance but we don't drive like assholes; the millennials coming up are another story, entitled faks.


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