By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
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What to do after an Uber or Lyft crash in Washington
- Get medical care and keep every bill. Personal injury protection (PIP) on the rideshare policy can start paying medical bills early (see below).
- Get the police report. Our guide covers how to get a police report in Seattle, and signal and camera video can disappear fast, so see how to get traffic camera footage in Seattle.
- Save the trip. Screenshot the driver, plate and trip screen, and keep the receipt.
- Find out whether the driver was logged in and whether a passenger was in the car or on the way.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the rideshare insurer until you have advice.
Washington rideshare insurance, period by period
Washington’s rideshare insurance rules were moved in 2022 from RCW 48.177.010 to RCW 46.72B.180. Coverage must be on a primary commercial policy, which the statute says is not a private passenger auto policy.
| Driver’s status | Minimum coverage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| App off | The driver’s personal policy: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $10,000 property damage | RCW 46.29.090 |
| Logged in, before accepting a ride | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, $30,000 property damage, plus UIM and PIP to the extent state law requires | RCW 46.72B.180(1)(b)(i) |
| Prearranged ride: accepted until the passenger leaves the car | $1 million combined single limit for death, personal injury and property damage, plus PIP | (1)(b)(ii); RCW 48.177.005(6) |
| Passenger in the car | Underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident | (1)(b)(iii) |
If the driver’s own policy lapsed or does not respond, the company must provide the coverage from the first dollar (RCW 46.72B.180(2)(b)). Personal auto insurers may exclude all coverage while the driver is logged in or on a ride, including liability, PIP and UIM ((6)). When a driver is logged in to more than one app, the company that matched the driver with a passenger covers the crash. If no match was made, the liability is split equally among the rideshare policies ((10)).
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PIP and underinsured motorist coverage for passengers
The passenger UIM amount in Washington, $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, applies from the moment a passenger enters the car until the passenger exits (RCW 46.72B.180(1)(b)(iii)). Outside that window, during the logged-in waiting period, UIM is required only to the extent the general rule requires it, and a named insured can reject UIM in writing (RCW 48.22.030(4)).
The rideshare policy must also carry PIP in both periods to the extent state law requires it. The minimum PIP an insurer must offer is $10,000 in medical and hospital benefits, a $2,000 funeral benefit, $10,000 in income continuation at up to $200 a week, and $5,000 for loss of services (RCW 48.22.095). PIP pays your own medical bills and lost income up to those limits while the liability claim is pending.
Who can be responsible in Washington
The at-fault driver. That can be the rideshare driver or another motorist, as in this three-vehicle DUI crash on I-5 in Tacoma.
Uber or Lyft. Washington law says a rideshare company “is not deemed to own, control, operate, or manage” its drivers’ personal vehicles (RCW 48.177.005(2)), and that safety features and policies the company adopts are not evidence of an employment or agency relationship with a driver (RCW 46.72B.120). Those sections limit some arguments for holding the company itself responsible. They do not change the insurance the company must provide.
A city, county or other local government. If a public vehicle or a road defect was involved, a claim must be presented to the agency’s designated agent, and no lawsuit can be filed until 60 days after that; the deadline to sue is tolled during those 60 days (RCW 4.96.020).
Since June 9, 2022, the state has preempted local regulation of rideshare companies and drivers, with limited exceptions for some local taxes, fees and licensing rules that already existed and for airport agreements (RCW 46.72B.190).
Trip records: what the company must keep and share
Washington spells out what the company must keep and share. In a claims coverage investigation, the company or its insurer must give the other insurers, within ten business days of a request, a copy of its electronic record of the precise times the driver logged on and off that day. It must keep all data, communications and documents about coverage or the accident for the statute of limitations plus two years (RCW 46.72B.180(11)). Individual trip records must be kept at least three years from the end of the calendar year of the trip (RCW 46.72B.130).
Our guide on how to get an Uber or Lyft accident report explains how to ask for them.
Arbitration clauses
Uber’s and Lyft’s terms send riders’ disputes with the company to individual arbitration and waive a jury. Uber’s covers “incidents or accidents resulting in personal injury or death to you or anyone else” (Uber Terms of Use), and Lyft’s covers claims relating to its rideshare services (Lyft Terms of Service). Both say they bind a user’s spouse and heirs, and both exclude individual sexual assault and harassment claims and small claims. They do not govern your claim against another driver, and they were never accepted by people who do not use the app.
Deadlines, fault and Washington crash numbers
- Three years to sue for injury to the person (RCW 4.16.080(2)). See our page on the Washington car accident statute of limitations.
- Fault reduces, never bars. Your contributory fault “diminishes proportionately” the award “but does not bar recovery” (RCW 4.22.005). See comparative fault in California, Texas and Washington.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reports 659 traffic deaths in 2025 in preliminary data, 10.5% fewer than 2024 and 18% fewer than the 809 in 2023 (WTSC). Busy corridors are part of the pattern, as in this two-car crash at Aurora Avenue North and 85th Street in Seattle.
Related pages
- California Uber and Lyft accident lawyer
- Texas Uber and Lyft accident lawyer
- Uber accident claims and Lyft accident claims
- Rideshare driver between rides: whose insurance applies?
- Uber passenger injured: who pays?
- Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane car accident lawyers
- Washington truck accident lawyer
Common questions
How much insurance covers an Uber or Lyft crash in Washington?
$1 million combined from the moment the driver accepts a ride until the passenger leaves the car. While logged in without a ride, $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $30,000 property damage. With the app off, the driver’s personal policy, which can be as low as $25,000 per person.
I was an Uber passenger and the other driver had no insurance. What now?
The rideshare policy must carry underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident while you are in the car. PIP on the rideshare policy can pay medical bills and lost income up to its limits.
How long do I have to sue?
Three years under RCW 4.16.080(2). For a city or county, file the written claim first and wait 60 days before suing; the deadline is paused during that wait.
What if I was partly at fault?
Washington reduces your award by your share of fault and never bars the claim, even if your share is large.
Can Uber refuse to give me the trip records?
The company must keep trip records for at least three years and must give insurers its log-on and log-off times within ten business days in a coverage investigation.
Do I have to arbitrate?
If you were the rider, Uber and Lyft will point to the arbitration clause in their terms for claims against the company. The clause does not cover your claim against another driver, and people who never used the app did not accept it.
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Washington Uber and Lyft accident lawyer — Beverly Law
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Sources
- RCW 46.72B.180
- RCW 48.177.005
- RCW 46.72B.120
- RCW 46.72B.130
- RCW 46.72B.190
- RCW 46.29.090
- RCW 48.22.030
- RCW 48.22.095
- RCW 4.16.080
- RCW 4.22.005
- RCW 4.96.020
- Uber U.S. Terms of Use (last modified Nov. 4, 2026)
- Lyft Terms of Service (updated Feb. 9, 2026)
- Washington Traffic Safety Commission, 2025 preliminary data (May 19, 2026)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.