Can Working for Uber or Lyft as a Driver Be a Dangerous Job?
Uber
or Lyft have revolutionized how we travel from one point to another. These platforms made the use of taxis obsolete even though people still use cabs all the time, but not as much as they did before. The best part is that the Uber and Lyft rides are cheaper than conventional taxis. The question that most people will ask is if it can be dangerous driving for Uber or Lyft.
Lack of professional drivers
When you look at cabs, they have a record of having professional drivers all the time. These are drivers who know this is their job, so they will be good at it. The same cannot be said for Uber drivers. Most of the drivers do the Uber ridesharing as a side hustle. For such a person, he or she cannot care much about tomorrow, so long as he can make quick bucks today.
Also, the taxi drivers need to have their fingerprints in the system, which is not the same for the Uber drivers. So long as the driver has a newer car, they can get to work as Uber drivers.
Faulty background checks
The safety of the passenger can be at risk when all drivers, even those with criminal records, can easily get to be drivers. As much as Uber claims to do background checks, their checks are quite unreliable. According to various reports, they all show that drivers who were convicted of rape, murder, assault, drunk driving, and reckless driving were part of the Uber network. With such revelations, not all passengers will feel safe to use the service.
Liability issues
Even when Uber was starting out, the issue of liabilities was always coming up. At the time, Uber was not providing any insurance cover for their drivers and passengers. Uber argued that the drivers were private contractors with their own insurance covers. On the other hand, personal insurance covers would not apply because the drivers were using their personal cars for commercial applications.
A lot has changed over the years as Uber now provides insurance covers up to $1 million. It will depend on the circumstances of the driver and passenger.
Safety hazard for drivers
Yes, it is not just the passengers who are at risk when using the Uber service. Drivers also face the risk of being attacked by passengers. There have been reports where Uber drivers were attacked by passengers, even when there was nothing the driver had done to provoke them.
Financial Risks
Since Uber drivers are not employees of Uber, they are not given the same coverage as their staff. Because of such, these drivers sometimes have to spend out-of-pockets to cover some expenses that would be under an employer. The drivers are responsible for the vehicle maintenance and gas. These costs can add up, quickly considering that the Uber fares are relatively low as compared to the conventional taxi fares.
At first, Uber was a lucrative option for anyone to consider. However, that changed quickly over the years. On average, an Uber driver can make $25 per hour, which might not seem bad. Well, when you factor in money for gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and other hidden fees, the driver fees drop down to around $10 per hour.
Since the drivers will put many miles on their cars for doing the taxi job, the value of their vehicles drops quickly. After only a few years, the same car will not have much value if you want to sell it to a second owner. Since many people look at the mileage of a vehicle, they will think that yours has been overused.
It is not all negative as Uber provides a way for most people to make money. Some take Uber driving job as their full-time career. If you are an Uber driver, it is best to understand how much protection Uber offers to you as the driver. To understand better, seek the services of an Uber car insurance lawyer to help decode the legal jargon. It is crucial to know what you are about to get yourself into before signing up as a driver.
