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Workers Compensation for Uber and Lyft Drivers

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By Ericka Murray

How many times this week have you grabbed your phone and requested a ride from a service such as Uber or Lyft?

Most people in urban areas have access to such services these days. Some people only use them for the occasional Saturday night out, and others use them daily to get to and from work.

It might surprise you to find out that your Uber driver has one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Right next to fire fighters, correction officers, police officers, construction workers, and truck drivers most lists of the most dangerous jobs in the country list taxi drivers. In fact, many studies have determined that taxi drivers are 5 times more likely to be murdered at work than the average for all other workers.

Uber and Lyft has tried to revolutionize the taxi industry by making it safer for both drivers and passengers. The drivers are not supposed to carry cash on them, and the app tracks personal information of each person while the ride is in progress.

However, it isn’t hard to search for incidents where Uber drivers were injured on the job. In addition to the inherent risks associated with driving on the road for prolonged periods of time drivers often deal with unpredictable passengers. In Detroit, an Uber driver was shot and murdered after an altercation with his passenger. In Los Angeles, another driver was stabbed while opening the door for his passengers. In Virginia, a man assaulted a driver and didn’t even face jail time for it.

The most surprising part is that there is no policy in place for workers compensation coverage for Uber and Lyft employees. The companies can escape this responsibility by considering their employees’ independent contractors. Workplace Accident Lawyer John Jokela explains that if an employer wishes to do this they must satisfy a 9-part test to classify an employee as an independent contractor. Many lawsuits have emerged from injured drivers and none have been able to change this classification. Most often a settlement is agreed upon where the driver is compensated for some pay, medical expenses, and inconvenience. Considering that more and more people are starting to move towards on-demand jobs as their main source of income this is often not enough.

In the upcoming years, I expect for this to be heavily debated, and hopefully changed, to protect Uber and Lyft drivers. Until then, always remember how much your driver could be risking to make sure you make it home safely.

The foregoing was originally published by 1Point21, and is reproduced here with permission of the author. No further republication is permitted without the author’s consent.


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