By Sami Sedghani, Pharm.D., J.D. · Synergist Law, P.C. · San Rafael, California · Updated October 27, 2026
This page provides general information only about California law and about rideshare insurance as California statutes describe it. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its own facts. Nothing on this page states or implies that Lyft or any driver is responsible for a particular crash.
The first question a rideshare accident lawyer asks is what the driver’s app showed at the moment of the crash. California ties rideshare insurance to the driver’s status in the app, not to the logo on the windshield. Whether the driver was logged off, waiting for a request, on the way to a pickup, or carrying a passenger decides which insurance applies and how much is available. A change that took effect on January 1, 2026, also cut the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage that protects Lyft passengers.
This page explains how those rules work for passengers, other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians hurt in a crash with a Lyft or other rideshare vehicle in California. Delivery-app drivers are covered on our delivery driver accident page, and crashes with driverless robotaxis on our self-driving car accident page.
How rideshare insurance works in California
California calls Lyft and similar companies “transportation network companies.” Public Utilities Code section 5433 sets the minimum insurance for each stage of a driver’s time on the app.
| Driver’s status in the app | Minimum insurance under California law |
|---|---|
| App off | No rideshare coverage is required. The driver’s personal auto policy is the starting point. |
| Logged on, waiting for a ride request (and between rides) | Primary liability of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injury or death, plus $30,000 for property damage, and at least $200,000 per occurrence in excess coverage maintained by the company (§ 5433(c)) |
| Ride accepted, through the end of the trip | Primary liability of $1,000,000 for death, personal injury, and property damage (§ 5433(b)(1)) |
| Passenger in the car (from entering to exiting) | Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, primary and solely the company’s obligation (§ 5433(b)(2)) |
Two features of the statute matter in practice. The rideshare coverage does not depend on the driver’s personal insurer first denying the claim (§ 5433(d)). And if a driver’s own rideshare policy has lapsed, the company must provide the required coverage from the first dollar (§ 5433(e)). The statute also says it does not limit a company’s liability above the required insurance amounts in a lawsuit arising from a crash involving one of its drivers (§ 5433(f)). These amounts are minimums for the ride. They are separate from any insurance or self-insurance a rideshare company carries for its own business, which can matter when a claim is based on the company’s own conduct.
The 2026 change to Lyft passenger coverage
Senate Bill 371, signed in October 2025, amended section 5433 effective January 1, 2026. Before the change, rideshare companies had to carry $1 million in uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for passengers. Now the required amount is $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
That coverage matters most when the driver who caused the crash is someone other than the Lyft driver. If an uninsured driver, a hit-and-run driver, or a driver carrying California’s minimum limits of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident (Vehicle Code section 16056) seriously injures a Lyft passenger, the passenger’s recovery from insurance may now be much smaller than it would have been in 2025. The $1 million liability coverage still applies when the Lyft driver is at fault. For a passenger hurt by someone else, the passenger’s own auto policy may also include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, depending on its terms. Our guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist claims in California explains how that coverage works.
Hit by a Lyft driver: who may be responsible
Responsibility depends on the facts. It can rest with the Lyft driver, with another driver, with a public agency responsible for a dangerous road, or with more than one of them. California applies pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, so fault can be shared and each party’s share reduces or increases what it owes.
Whether Lyft itself is legally responsible for its driver’s conduct is a separate question. Under Proposition 22, Business and Professions Code section 7451 treats app-based drivers as independent contractors when the company meets certain conditions, and the California Supreme Court upheld that measure in Castellanos v. State of California (2024) 16 Cal.5th 588. Proposition 22 and Castellanos address drivers’ status for employment purposes, such as wages and workers’ compensation. Whether that classification also decides if a rideshare company can be held responsible for a driver’s conduct in an injury lawsuit is not settled in California, and the answer may depend on the facts and the theory of liability. Claims based on the company’s own conduct are a separate question. In practice, the insurance that section 5433 requires is often where a recovery starts.
Lyft accident report and the records that decide the claim
Rideshare claims turn on records most people never see. The most important is the app data showing the driver’s status, trip times, route, and GPS location when the crash happened, because that is what places the crash in one of the insurance tiers above. Lyft also keeps its own record of the incident when it is reported through the app.
The police report is a separate record. Crashes on Highway 101, Interstate 580, and other state highways in Marin, and on roads in unincorporated Marin, are generally handled by the California Highway Patrol’s Marin Area office. CHP releases collision reports to parties involved through its online crash report request page. A crash on a city street is usually handled by that city’s police department. Video from the rideshare car’s dashcam, other vehicles, and nearby businesses can be recorded over within days, which is why early written preservation requests are common in these cases.
When the Lyft driver is the one injured
Drivers have a different set of rules. Under Business and Professions Code section 7455, rideshare companies must provide occupational accident insurance covering at least $1,000,000 in medical expenses for injuries a driver suffers while online, along with disability payments of 66 percent of average weekly earnings for up to 104 weeks. If another driver caused the crash, the injured rideshare driver may also have a claim against that driver.
How we prepare a rideshare accident case
We start by fixing the timeline: the driver’s app status, the ride request and acceptance times, and the exact time of the collision. That timeline tells us which policies are in play, including the driver’s personal policy, the rideshare policy, the other driver’s insurance, and your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We then send preservation requests for app data and video, and we gather the medical records that show what the crash did to you.
Before founding Synergist Law, I spent nine years at large law firms representing companies in complex litigation, and I trained as a pharmacist at UCSF. The first taught me how companies and their insurers build the defense file. The second helps me read the medical records the way a defense reviewer will, especially when an insurer argues that an injury was already there before the crash. Neither background predicts how a case will turn out. It shapes how we prepare one.
What affects a Lyft accident settlement
There is no standard Lyft accident settlement amount. Value generally depends on the seriousness and permanence of the injuries, the medical expenses and lost income, how clearly the crash caused the harm, and how fault is shared. How past medical bills are counted also matters. Under Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541, recoverable past medical expenses are generally limited to the amounts actually paid or owed.
Who the defendant is, and what coverage is available, can matter as much as the injury. A crash during an active trip where the Lyft driver is at fault can involve $1 million in primary coverage. The same injury caused by an uninsured driver may leave a passenger with the $60,000 per-person rideshare UM/UIM coverage and whatever their own policy provides. When serious injuries exceed the available insurance, collecting more than the policy limits from an individual driver can be difficult. That is why coverage is one of the first things we identify.
When the rideshare company’s own conduct is at issue
A rideshare company can also be responsible for its own negligence, apart from any question about the driver’s legal status. California sets a minimum standard for driver screening. Public Utilities Code section 5445.2 requires a local and national criminal background check for every driver. It bars a company from contracting with or retaining a driver who is a registered sex offender or has been convicted of certain violent felonies, or who has been convicted within the past seven years of offenses that include driving under the influence, misdemeanor assault or battery, and domestic violence. The statute also allows a company to set stricter standards of its own.
That raises questions that can shape a claim. Did the screening miss something that should have kept the driver off the platform? Did the company follow its own safety policies? Had it received complaints or other warnings about the driver, and kept the driver active anyway? The answers usually sit in the company’s own records, such as the driver’s onboarding file, background check reports, rider complaints, and account history, and they are generally developed through discovery. When the evidence supports a claim based on the company’s own conduct, it can change both who is responsible and how a case is valued.
Rideshare accident lawyer FAQ
How much insurance does Lyft have in California?
Two separate kinds of coverage can be involved. The first is the insurance California requires for the ride itself under Public Utilities Code section 5433, which Lyft or the driver must maintain. Once a ride is accepted and through the end of the trip, that coverage must be at least $1,000,000 in primary liability. While the driver is logged on and waiting for a request, the minimum is $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injury, $30,000 for property damage, and $200,000 in excess coverage. With the app off, the driver’s personal policy is the starting point. The second is Lyft’s own corporate coverage, which is distinct from the ride coverage. Lyft’s annual report for 2025 describes a wholly-owned insurance subsidiary, deductibles, and third-party policies for operations-related risks. Whether any of that coverage applies depends on the claim, especially a claim based on Lyft’s own conduct, and section 5433 says it does not limit a company’s liability above the required amounts.
What changed for Lyft passengers in 2026?
Senate Bill 371 reduced the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage that rideshare companies must carry for passengers. Before January 1, 2026, the requirement was $1 million. It is now $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. The change matters most when an uninsured or underinsured driver, not the rideshare driver, causes the crash.
Can you sue Lyft after an accident?
Sometimes. Most injury claims are first paid through the insurance California requires. Under Proposition 22, app-based drivers are generally treated as independent contractors for employment purposes when the company meets certain conditions, but whether that classification controls the company’s responsibility in an injury lawsuit is not settled in California. A claim against the company can also rest on its own conduct, such as a background check that missed a disqualifying record or a failure to act on known safety complaints, depending on the evidence. Lyft’s rider terms also include an arbitration agreement, and whether it reaches a particular claim depends on the terms and the claim.
I was hit by a Lyft driver while I was driving or walking. Who pays?
If the Lyft driver was at fault, the answer depends on the driver’s app status at the time. During an accepted ride or trip, $1,000,000 in rideshare liability coverage applies. While the driver was waiting for a request, lower limits apply. With the app off, the driver’s personal auto policy usually applies. Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may also be available, depending on its terms.
How long do I have to file a claim after a Lyft accident in California?
For most personal injury claims, the general rule is two years from the injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity shares responsibility, for example because of a dangerous road condition, a written government claim generally must be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2. Because the deadline depends on the facts, it is better to have a licensed California attorney determine the deadline that applies than to calculate it yourself.
Do I need a Lyft accident attorney, or can I handle the insurance claim myself?
You are not required to hire a lawyer. Rideshare claims can involve several insurers at once, including the rideshare policy, the driver’s personal policy, the other driver’s insurer, and your own, and each may ask for a statement. Hold off on recorded statements until you consult with a licensed attorney.
Talk to a rideshare accident lawyer in Marin County
If you were seriously injured in a crash involving a Lyft or other rideshare vehicle in Marin County, San Francisco, or elsewhere in California, we can review the app timeline, the insurance, and your medical records with you. Sami Sedghani, Pharm.D., J.D. handles these cases personally. Call (415) 835-4448 or request a free consultation. Answers to general questions are on our personal injury FAQ page, and car crashes generally are covered on our Marin County car accident page. Se habla español. Office: 1299 4th Street, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94901.
Contingency fee: no attorney’s fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. Depending on the terms of your written fee agreement, you may be responsible for case costs we advance even if there is no recovery. Your fee agreement explains this before representation begins.
The law and insurance requirements described here may change after the date shown above. Every case turns on its own facts, and nothing on this page predicts any outcome, timeline, or value in your matter.