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Why would you need to know that the car you are getting into has insurance? What difference could it make to you? Isn't that entirely their problem? Perhaps I'

Why would you need to know that the car you are getting into has insurance? What difference could it make to you? Isn't that entirely their problem? Perhaps I'm missing something as a non-US citizen.

DanBC 11y ago
In the US Uber provides insurance for all their drivers. Outside the US the drivers have to buy their own insurance. In, for example, England the insurance is part of the regulatory burden. I know that a taxi in England has valid insurance. I don't know if an English Uber car has valid insurance. Uber avoids the regulation, and under-insured cars is one risk of that. > What difference could it make to you? The car crashes and you lose a hand. This puts you out of work for a few months; makes it much harder for you to get new jobs; reduces your productivity. You'll need some modifications to your home. You'll need money. A properly insured car makes it easier to get that money.
- Negitivefrags 11y ago
  Right, I guess I never considered that since I live in a place that has public healthcare.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Even with public health care you're going to need money. England has public health care, but you're going to want a better prosthetic and you're going to want money to make adaptations to your home over what will be available. And you're going to want money to cover your reduced income while you're off work.
    - ThomPete 11y ago
      But that will also mostly be paid by the public welfare system even if it came to that. It looks more like you are clinging to some edge case potential for something thats most likely not going to happen in any meaningful way. Again. Europe is very different than the US in that regard.
      - DanBC 11y ago
        I'm not sure why you keep mentioning the US, I'm not talking about the US. The only reason I mention the US is because Uber takes care of the insurance for Uber drivers in the US, but they don't do that anywhere else. Everywhere else the drivers are expected to buy the insurance. In some places you know that Uber are regulated as part of the taxi system and so you know the drivers will have bought insurance as part of that regulation. But that's not everywhere. Properly insured cars are really important, even when you live in an area with public health care and welfare systems. There are many costs involved in severe injury that are only minimally covered by public welfare. This is not a super rare event! About 1,700 people die each year in road traffic accidents in Great Britain. (And that's the lowest it's been since records began). Very many more are severely injured. In England you'll get minimal help from public welfare systems - you'll get a prosthetic limb but you'll want a better one, and that will cost. You'll want to make adaptations to your home - you'll get some help, but you'll want more and better adaptations. Depending how you're employed you'll get some statutory sick pay or disability benefit, but these are likely to be much less than you were earning. (Statutory sick pay is £88.25 per week for 28 weeks.)
        ThomPete 11y ago
        I still don't understand what your point is. My original point was that Uber because of it's use of technology have solved the problems that would normally require licenses. I.e. it's as safe to drive as any other service. Insurance is a minor problem which 1) can easily be fixed, 2) isn't really a problem with the uber model.
      - roel_v 11y ago
        In 'Europe' also there are many damages you will be left hanging with if whoever caused your damage is not insured. If you think you're golden when something happens to you because you live in Europe, you're in for a rude awakening in case something would happen. There are many personal injury lawyers across Europe. They just don't make as much money because of no punititve damages. (Example off the cuff, was on tv a while ago: girl gets ankle damaged in accident at car show. Yes the foot gets the plaster 'for free', but here are some other costs that aren't covered by national insurance: travel costs, time off for parents, adaptation to the house to accommodate reduced mobility, wheelchair-accessible car, ...) Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I know of no social healthcare system that covers such costs).
    - brrrt 11y ago
      So liability insurance - isn't that generally required by law in European countries? I know it's illegal to own a car w/o such insurance in Denmark, for instance.
      - kalleboo 11y ago
        Regular private car insurance excludes commercial use. Same with how regular home insurance doesn't cover if you run a storefront from your home.
      - nommm-nommm 11y ago
        Yes, everyone has personal insurance that covers your car for personal use. You can't register a car without that in all places I know of. The issue is they also must have insurance that covers them for business use when they are using their car for business. Every personal insurance policy I've read says it isn't in effect when the car is being used for business purposes. If I tried to file a claim under my personal automobile policy it would go something like this "...and you were driving for Uber at the time? Yeah...lol."
  - kybernetyk 11y ago
    Yes, sure, the medical bills will be paid to an extent. But what about you losing your income? Making your home fit for being disabled? Rehabilitation? (Public system pays only the bare minimum here).
    - Negitivefrags 11y ago
      Well, in my country at least (NZ), everyone automatically has insurance to cover all of that for accidents. It's called ACC. In exchange for that, we have a "no-fault" system so you can't sue someone for an accident making the concept of liability insurance for accidents something that doesn't exist here.
      - Nutmog 11y ago
        That's nice for people getting injured. Insurance then becomes something you get to protect yourself, not because you're required to have it to protect other people. If you crash into an expensive car, you're still on the hook for the cost of that unless you have your own insurance. But that's a decision you can make yourself if you're worried about the risk of causing expensive damage - no need to worry about whether every car you go near is insured.
  - nommm-nommm 11y ago
    serious questions. Does public healthcare help you if you need to install a wheelchair ramp in your home? Or other lifestyle modifications that are a result of injury? Such as increased costs of transportation? Lost wages?
- cnorthwood 11y ago
  In England, Uber is licensed as a minicab firm (taxicabs you can hire on the street, minicabs you must order through an operator, and the Uber app acts as the operator). Uber play completely fair with the regulation here (maybe the regulation was never as onerous as in the states). You can generally see on the side of the vehicle that it has the licensing from the appropriate council. The council won't license a minicab that doesn't have insurance.
  - barkingcat 11y ago
    That means Uber in England at least is obeying local laws. In other countries Uber is not registering and licensing as the local equivalent of minicab, that's why they are getting banned. I think Uber should want to obey laws in the territories that it is trying to operate in. To not do so is just picking the wrong kind of fight.

Why would you need to know that the car you are getting into has insurance? What difference could it make to you? Isn't that entirely their problem? Perhaps I'm missing something as a non-US citizen.

DanBC 11y ago

In the US Uber provides insurance for all their drivers. Outside the US the drivers have to buy their own insurance. In, for example, England the insurance is part of the regulatory burden. I know that a taxi in England has valid insurance. I don't know if an English Uber car has valid insurance. Uber avoids the regulation, and under-insured cars is one risk of that. > What difference could it make to you? The car crashes and you lose a hand. This puts you out of work for a few months; makes it much harder for you to get new jobs; reduces your productivity. You'll need some modifications to your home. You'll need money. A properly insured car makes it easier to get that money.

Negitivefrags 11y ago
Right, I guess I never considered that since I live in a place that has public healthcare.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Even with public health care you're going to need money. England has public health care, but you're going to want a better prosthetic and you're going to want money to make adaptations to your home over what will be available. And you're going to want money to cover your reduced income while you're off work.
  - ThomPete 11y ago
    But that will also mostly be paid by the public welfare system even if it came to that. It looks more like you are clinging to some edge case potential for something thats most likely not going to happen in any meaningful way. Again. Europe is very different than the US in that regard.
    - DanBC 11y ago
      I'm not sure why you keep mentioning the US, I'm not talking about the US. The only reason I mention the US is because Uber takes care of the insurance for Uber drivers in the US, but they don't do that anywhere else. Everywhere else the drivers are expected to buy the insurance. In some places you know that Uber are regulated as part of the taxi system and so you know the drivers will have bought insurance as part of that regulation. But that's not everywhere. Properly insured cars are really important, even when you live in an area with public health care and welfare systems. There are many costs involved in severe injury that are only minimally covered by public welfare. This is not a super rare event! About 1,700 people die each year in road traffic accidents in Great Britain. (And that's the lowest it's been since records began). Very many more are severely injured. In England you'll get minimal help from public welfare systems - you'll get a prosthetic limb but you'll want a better one, and that will cost. You'll want to make adaptations to your home - you'll get some help, but you'll want more and better adaptations. Depending how you're employed you'll get some statutory sick pay or disability benefit, but these are likely to be much less than you were earning. (Statutory sick pay is £88.25 per week for 28 weeks.)
      - ThomPete 11y ago
        I still don't understand what your point is. My original point was that Uber because of it's use of technology have solved the problems that would normally require licenses. I.e. it's as safe to drive as any other service. Insurance is a minor problem which 1) can easily be fixed, 2) isn't really a problem with the uber model.
    - roel_v 11y ago
      In 'Europe' also there are many damages you will be left hanging with if whoever caused your damage is not insured. If you think you're golden when something happens to you because you live in Europe, you're in for a rude awakening in case something would happen. There are many personal injury lawyers across Europe. They just don't make as much money because of no punititve damages. (Example off the cuff, was on tv a while ago: girl gets ankle damaged in accident at car show. Yes the foot gets the plaster 'for free', but here are some other costs that aren't covered by national insurance: travel costs, time off for parents, adaptation to the house to accommodate reduced mobility, wheelchair-accessible car, ...) Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I know of no social healthcare system that covers such costs).
  - brrrt 11y ago
    So liability insurance - isn't that generally required by law in European countries? I know it's illegal to own a car w/o such insurance in Denmark, for instance.
    - kalleboo 11y ago
      Regular private car insurance excludes commercial use. Same with how regular home insurance doesn't cover if you run a storefront from your home.
    - nommm-nommm 11y ago
      Yes, everyone has personal insurance that covers your car for personal use. You can't register a car without that in all places I know of. The issue is they also must have insurance that covers them for business use when they are using their car for business. Every personal insurance policy I've read says it isn't in effect when the car is being used for business purposes. If I tried to file a claim under my personal automobile policy it would go something like this "...and you were driving for Uber at the time? Yeah...lol."
- kybernetyk 11y ago
  Yes, sure, the medical bills will be paid to an extent. But what about you losing your income? Making your home fit for being disabled? Rehabilitation? (Public system pays only the bare minimum here).
  - Negitivefrags 11y ago
    Well, in my country at least (NZ), everyone automatically has insurance to cover all of that for accidents. It's called ACC. In exchange for that, we have a "no-fault" system so you can't sue someone for an accident making the concept of liability insurance for accidents something that doesn't exist here.
    - Nutmog 11y ago
      That's nice for people getting injured. Insurance then becomes something you get to protect yourself, not because you're required to have it to protect other people. If you crash into an expensive car, you're still on the hook for the cost of that unless you have your own insurance. But that's a decision you can make yourself if you're worried about the risk of causing expensive damage - no need to worry about whether every car you go near is insured.
- nommm-nommm 11y ago
  serious questions. Does public healthcare help you if you need to install a wheelchair ramp in your home? Or other lifestyle modifications that are a result of injury? Such as increased costs of transportation? Lost wages?
cnorthwood 11y ago
In England, Uber is licensed as a minicab firm (taxicabs you can hire on the street, minicabs you must order through an operator, and the Uber app acts as the operator). Uber play completely fair with the regulation here (maybe the regulation was never as onerous as in the states). You can generally see on the side of the vehicle that it has the licensing from the appropriate council. The council won't license a minicab that doesn't have insurance.
- barkingcat 11y ago
  That means Uber in England at least is obeying local laws. In other countries Uber is not registering and licensing as the local equivalent of minicab, that's why they are getting banned. I think Uber should want to obey laws in the territories that it is trying to operate in. To not do so is just picking the wrong kind of fight.