Uber, Lyft and Ride Sharing

Summary

New Jersey law now enables injured drivers, passengers and pedestrians to obtain payment of their medical bills and obtain a settlement for pain and suffering from negligent Uber and Lyft drivers.

Many people use ride share companies like Uber and Lyft to get around if they don’t have a car and need transportation. Sometimes, Uber and Lyft drivers cause motor vehicle crashes because they are careless, reckless, and negligent. This can occur when they rear end stopped cars, make improper turns, drive in excess of the speed limit, run red lights or are distracted. Passengers in Uber and Lyft vehicles can suffer neck, back, and head injuries, concussions, traumatic brain injuries and fractured spines, arms and legs due to the negligence of Uber and Lyft drivers. Their negligence and carelessness can also cause serious personal injuries to pedestrians who are lawfully crossing the street in crosswalks or innocently standing at the curb or on a sidewalk.

Injured accident victims in New Jersey are protected by a law called the “Transportation Network Company Safety and Regulatory Act” when an Uber or Lyft or other ride share driver causes an accident and their victims suffer harm.

Uber and Lyft are known as “transportation network companies” or TNCs. They use a digital network to connect a rider to a driver to provide a “prearranged ride.”

A “prearranged ride” occurs when a TNC driver agrees to provide transportation to a TNC rider, beginning when a driver accepts a ride requested by a rider through a digital network controlled by a TNC, continuing while the driver transports a rider, and ending when the last requesting rider departs from the driver’s personal vehicle.

A prearranged ride does not apply to transportation provided using a taxi, limousine, bus, or other for-hire vehicle, and is not considered ridesharing.

A TNC and a TNC driver are required to maintain liability insurance to protect accident victims that suffer injuries.

A TNC and a TNC driver must maintain primary automobile liability insurance that recognizes that the driver is a TNC driver, or otherwise uses their own personal vehicle to provide prearranged rides, and covers the driver:

• (1) while the driver is logged on to the TNC’s digital network, but is not providing a prearranged ride; or
• (2) while the driver is providing a prearranged ride.

When a driver is logged on to the TNC’s digital network and is available to accept a prearranged ride request, but is not providing a prearranged ride, the minimum limits of coverage required are:

• a. primary automobile liability insurance of at least $50,000 for death or bodily injury per person, $100,000 for death or bodily injury per incident, and $25,000 for property damage, along with primary personal injury protection benefits (coverage to pay a victim’s medical bills incurred due to an accident) and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to the extent required pursuant to N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.1.

When a driver is providing a prearranged ride, the minimum limits of coverage required are:

• b. primary automobile liability insurance of at least $1,500,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage, primary automobile insurance for medical payments benefits in an amount of at least $10,000 per person per incident, which shall only apply to and provide coverage for the benefit of the TNC driver, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in an amount of at least $1,500,000.

Our firm helps individuals and their family members seek the greatest possible amount of compensation for pain and suffering, unpaid medical bills, loss of earnings and permanent injuries from irresponsible Uber, Lyft, Transportation Network companies, TNCs, and other ride share companies. Our Middlesex County and Mercer County personal injury lawyers represent accident victims who have suffered harm in Plainsboro, Cranbury, South Brunswick, Monmouth Junction, Dayton, Kendall Park, Hightstown, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Edison, Highland Park, Somerset, Somerville, Hillsborough, Montgomery Township, Piscataway, Trenton, Ewing, West Trenton, Hopewell, Pennington, Robbinsville, East Windsor, Princeton, Hamilton, Princeton Junction, West Windsor, Woodbridge, Avenel, Elizabeth, Hillside, Union, Linden, Cranford, Westfield, Rahway, Scotch Plains, Mountainside, Berkeley Heights, Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison, Newark, Orange, East Orange, South Orange, West Orange, Maplewood, and Irvington, as well as other areas of Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth, Essex and Union counties. Contact us online or at 609-799-6066 for a free personal or virtual appointment to learn about your rights.