What to do if Hit by a Drunk Driver While Riding in UBER

UBER has insurance above and beyond minimum state insurance requirements that are carried by regular taxi drivers.
Seemingly overnight, UBER changed the landscape of the vehicle for hire service. By tapping the “app” on your smartphone, you are connected to a professional driver of a decent smelling car who actually knows how to get to where you want to go. (An important quality of any driver). Easy to understand fare, no cash needed and no added tip.

While you probably already know everything written above, what you might not know is that in Georgia, UBER vehicles have better insurance than their Cab competitors. Most cab companies in Georgia carry minimal limit policies of $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and no Uninsured Motorist. So if your cab driver runs a red light and causes you
serious bodily harm, the cab company does not carry sufficient insurance to cover your injuries. Additionally, if you are harmed in a cab due to the fault of an uninsured driver, the cab likely has NO insurance coverage available to you. Unless you have Uninsured Motorist coverage through your own automobile insurance, there will be no auto insurance available.

Not so with UBER. UBER carries $1,000,000.00 in both liability and Uninsured Motorist coverage. Thus, there is $1,000,000 in coverage available for every accident involving an UBER vehicle regardless of which driver was at fault.

Unfortunately, many UBER drivers, particularly those new UBER-X drivers are unaware of this added insurance. We have seen several cases where drivers of UBER-X vehicles panic when they get into an accident based on a false belief that there is no insurance for their passenger for hire, i.e. you. Thus, they will fail to report to the officer that they had you, the passenger, in the car at the time of the accident.

If you are an UBER passenger involved in an accident, make sure to do the following:

1) Remind the driver that UBER has purchased insurance to cover any injuries you sustained;
2) Stay at the accident scene until Police arrive and make sure the Police Officer knows and reports you as a passenger on the Police Report;
3) Get treated for your injuries as soon as possible;
4) If injured, hire a good personal injury lawyer to represent you.