What Insurance Covers California Uber and Lyft Drivers Injured While Online?

What does § 7455 require a company to carry?

Section 7455(a) requires occupational accident insurance for the driver’s benefit. It covers medical expenses and lost income from injuries suffered while the driver is online with the company’s app or platform.

At a minimum, the policy must provide both of these:

• Coverage for medical expenses incurred, up to at least $1,000,000.
• Disability payments equal to 66 percent of the driver’s average weekly earnings from all network companies as of the date of injury. Weekly minimum and maximum rates are determined under Labor Code § 4453(a). The payments last for up to the first 104 weeks after the injury.

Section 7455(b) requires accidental death insurance for the spouse, children, or other dependents. It applies when an injury suffered while the driver is online results in death. Burial expenses and death benefits are determined under Labor Code § 4701 and § 4702. Section 7455 does not restate those Labor Code amounts.

“Average weekly earnings” means the driver’s total earnings from all network companies during the 28 days before the covered accident, divided by four.

The same section also requires automobile liability coverage under subdivision (f). A California Department of Insurance notice dated February 3, 2021, describes that requirement. The notice says delivery network companies must maintain at least $1 million in automobile liability coverage per occurrence where the vehicle is not otherwise covered by a policy that complies with Insurance Code § 11580.1. That figure is the notice’s description of delivery-company automobile liability. It is not an extra medical limit on top of the $1 million occupational medical benefit in § 7455(a).

When is a driver “online”?

For this section, “online” means the time an app-based driver is using a network company’s app or platform and can receive requests for rideshare or delivery. It also includes engaged time. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7455(c).

The occupational accident policy and the accidental death policy do not have to cover every minute the app is open. Section 7455(d) says they are not required to cover an accident that occurs while the driver is online but outside engaged time, in either of two situations. One is when the injured driver is in engaged time on one or more other network company platforms. The other is when the driver is engaged in personal activities.

If more than one network company’s occupational accident or accidental death insurance covers the accident, the insurer that receives the claim is entitled to contribution. The contribution is for the pro-rata share attributable to the other network companies, up to the coverages and limits in subdivisions (a) and (b).

What did Uber say in 2020, and is that the current claim process?

Uber’s December 12, 2020 statement said that, effective December 16, 2020, Uber would purchase Injury Protection insurance for the driver. It said the driver did not need to enroll or pay, and that coverage would begin that day at no cost to the driver. It listed medical expense coverage, disability payments, and survivor benefits. It said an accident was eligible if the driver was online and waiting for a trip in California, on the way to a pickup, or on a trip that originated in California. It pointed drivers to an Insurance Hub in the driver app.

That is a company announcement from 2020. It is not § 7455. RideClaim.co has not verified those steps as Uber’s claim instructions in 2026. The sources linked on this page do not include a current Lyft claim procedure. Do not use the 2020 post as the way to open a claim today.

The February 3, 2021 Department of Insurance notice describes the medical, disability, and accidental death coverages required by § 7455. It says network companies had to make that coverage available by March 16, 2021. It also says certain disability benefits required by Proposition 22 must be deducted from uninsured motorist coverage recoveries by the driver. The notice cites § 7455(e) and Insurance Code § 11580.2(h). The notice is from 2021. It is not a current claim manual for Uber or Lyft.

How can these benefits affect other insurance?

Section 7455(e) says any benefits provided to an app-based driver under subdivision (a) or (b) shall be considered amounts payable under a worker’s compensation law or disability benefit. That label is for the purpose of determining amounts payable under insurance provided in Article 2 of the Insurance Code, commencing with § 11580.

The Department of Insurance notice reads that rule to mean certain Proposition 22 disability benefits must be deducted from the driver’s uninsured motorist recovery. Whether § 7455 changes the result in a particular accident is a question for a California lawyer.

What records matter after the injury?

Section 7455 uses the driver’s earnings from all network companies in the 28 days before the covered accident. Keep a record of those earnings. Keep a record of whether you were online and whether you were on a trip. Keep medical records and bills. If another driver was involved, keep the police report number and that driver’s insurance information.

For how a company wants a claim reported today, use that company’s current driver materials. The December 2020 Uber post is not a verified current instruction.

For California’s rideshare liability tiers, see the California rideshare insurance guide.

Sources and limits

The benefit rules above follow Business and Professions Code § 7455 and the Department of Insurance notice dated February 3, 2021. Uber’s claim description is the company’s December 12, 2020 statement. Those company steps were not re-verified as current instructions on November 10, 2026. RideClaim.co is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Coverage depends on the accident date, the policy, and the facts.