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Why the app status matters
California ties rideshare coverage to what the driver was doing in the app. From the time a driver accepts a ride request until the ride is complete or the transaction ends in the app, the company must carry $1 million in primary liability coverage. That covers a driver heading to a pickup as well as a driver with a passenger in the back.
While the driver is logged in but has not accepted a ride, the required coverage is at least $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident and $30,000 for property damage, plus $200,000 in excess coverage. If the app was off, the driver was just another driver, and the claim looks at their personal policy. A Lyft sticker on the windshield does not tell you which period applied.
How to find out what the driver was doing
Ask the driver at the scene whether they had a passenger or were on the way to one, and write down the answer. Note whether anyone was in the back seat, and take a photo of any rideshare sign in the car. If the driver shows you the app, take a photo of the screen if they allow it.
Later, the company’s records can show when the driver logged in, when a ride was accepted, and the route. Those records come from the rideshare company, and a lawyer can request them. Getting them early helps, since the coverage you can reach depends on it and drivers do not always remember the timing the same way you do.
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Your own coverage can help
If the Lyft driver had no valid insurance in the period that applied, or drove away, your own uninsured motorist coverage may pay for injuries. California policies must include it unless you signed a written agreement to drop it. A hit-and-run claim needs physical contact and a report to police within 24 hours, plus a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days.
If you bought MedPay, it pays reasonable medical bills from the crash up to your limit no matter who was at fault. Your collision coverage, if you have it, may fix your car sooner, and your insurer may then seek repayment from the at-fault side. California uses pure comparative fault, so any blame placed on you lowers what you recover but does not bar it.
What to do now
Get medical care right away. Take photos of both cars, the plates, any rideshare sign, the scene and your injuries. Get the driver’s name, license, insurance card and phone number, and the names of witnesses. Call police and get the report number. Report the crash to your own insurer with the basic facts and ask for the claim number.
Keep receipts, bills and pay records. Do not sign a release or give a recorded statement to Lyft’s insurer or the driver’s insurer before you talk with a lawyer. As a driver in a crash with injury or more than $1,000 in damage, file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days. An injury lawsuit must generally be filed within two years.
How Beverly Law can help
We can request the trip data, figure out which coverage applied, and press the right insurer to pay. You owe no fees or costs unless we win. Call (310) 552-6959 or use the form on this page, and we will look at your crash, tell you what we see, and explain the next steps.
These pages answer the questions drivers ask most after a crash like this: whose insurance applies between rides, how Lyft claims work, whether to call your own insurance, and what to do if an uninsured driver hit you. Washington drivers have their own rideshare minimums under RCW 46.72B.180, with the same app-status question.
Common questions
Does Lyft’s insurance cover other drivers?
It can. If the Lyft driver had accepted a ride or had a passenger, California requires $1 million in primary liability coverage, which can pay other people hurt by that driver. If the driver was only logged in, lower limits apply. If the app was off, the driver’s own policy is the question.
How do I know if the Lyft driver was on a ride?
Ask at the scene and write down the answer, and note whether a passenger was in the car. Later, the rideshare company’s records show login times, accepted rides and routes. A lawyer can request those records to confirm which coverage period applied.
Should I call my own insurance after a Lyft driver hit me?
Yes, report the crash to your insurer with the basic facts and get a claim number. Your MedPay, collision or uninsured motorist coverage may help. Do not give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer before talking with a lawyer.
What if the Lyft driver blames me?
Fault is decided by the evidence: photos, the police report, witnesses and video. California uses pure comparative fault, so even if you share some blame, you can still recover, reduced by your share. Keep your account to the facts and let a lawyer handle the insurers.
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If you were hurt in a car or truck crash in California and Washington, talk to a personal injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Uber accident claims: how the insurance works · Lyft accident claims: coverage, steps and deadlines · Uber passenger injured: who pays your bills? · Rideshare driver between rides: whose insurance applies? · Uber accident settlement: what affects it · All car and truck accident questions
Sources
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433(b)(1)-(2), (c)(1)-(2) (as amended by SB 371, Stats. 2025, ch. 314)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(a)(1)-(3), (b)(1)-(2), (f)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(i)(1)(A)-(C), (b)(1)-(2)
- California Department of Insurance, Auto Insurance Terms glossary; policy terms
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, 828-829; CACI No. 405
- Cal. Veh. Code § 16000(a); DMV form SR 1 (Rev. 6/2025)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1
- RCW 46.72B.180(1)(b) (recodified from RCW 48.177.010 by Laws 2022, ch. 281, § 35); RCW 48.177.005(6)
Important: This page is general information about California and Washington law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Last reviewed: November 5, 2026.