People who suffer injuries while using public transportation, such as a bus or a taxi in Atlanta or Savannah, benefit from those vehicles having full insurance coverage by companies. Those drivers and entities must comply with strict transportation insurance regulations. Their drivers are full employees and work for the company or city; they aren’t contractors or gig workers.
On the other hand, ridesharing companies act like matchmakers between drivers and riders. More often than not, they attempt to dodge the accountability and liability that goes along with accidents involving their drivers. This practice is so commonplace that they frequently lobby the government to ensure they get treated as the middleman when an accident occurs. This frees them from the responsibilities of having employees, including many liabilities regarding rideshare passenger safety.
A few years ago, Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation that regulates rideshare companies in Georgia. It mandates that drivers keep insurance coverage of $1,000,000 from the moment a driver accepts a ride request to the moment the ride ends. In addition, it requires a minimum of $300,000 in insurance coverage for bodily injury or death and $50,000 for property damage anytime a rideshare driver is logged into the company’s app but not transporting any passengers.
This legislation was highly necessary. In the infancy of rideshare services, Lyft and Uber’s policies concerning insurance weren’t clear. If there were a collision during a ride, the companies would attempt to deflect liability to their driver by taking advantage of loopholes and refuting injury cases in the courtroom. Unfortunately, if you suffer injury as a rideshare passenger, you could still have difficulty obtaining compensation for your damages. This is where experienced Duluth car accident attorneys can help.
