Nevada “Ride Sharing” (Uber & Lyft) Accident Laws

In Nevada, Uber or Lyft is liable for your injuries for up to $1.5 million if either:

• you are a customer hurt in an accident caused by the Uber or Lyft driver, or
• you get hit by an Uber or Lyft driver currently transporting – or en route to – a customer.

If you are hit by an off-duty Uber or Lyft driver, their personal insurance is responsible for covering your compensatory damages following an accident. Though if the driver was waiting for a ride request at the time of crash – and their insurance is insufficient – you can file a claim with Uber or Lyft’s contingency liability insurance. This covers a maximum of:

• $50,000 per person for injury or death,
• $100,000 per accident for injuries or death,
• $25,000 for property damage.

Since Nevada is an at-fault state, the party (or parties) that caused the accident are responsible for any damages. Therefore if you are an Uber or Lyft passenger and are hit by another car, your claim would be against that car’s driver – not Uber or Lyft.

To help you better understand Nevada’s ride-hailing accident laws and how to bring lawsuits, our Nevada personal injury lawyers discuss the following topics below. Also listen to our informative podcast:

• 1. Nevada’s Ride-Sharing Laws
• 2. Three Periods of Liability for Ride-Sharing Drivers
• 3. Who can I sue?
• 4. What damages can I recover?
• 5. What if I am partially to blame?
• 6. What if the at-fault party is uninsured?
• 7. Are the laws the same for taxis?
• 8. Recent Settlements and Verdicts
• 9. How can a lawyer help me?
• Ten Steps to Take After an Uber or Lyft Accident
• Additional Resources

1. Nevada’s Ride-Sharing Laws

Chapter 706A of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) regulates ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. (Ride-sharing is also called ride-hailing.)

Under state law, Uber and Lyft are considered “transportation network companies” because their drivers connect with their passengers through an app on their iPhone, Android, or other smartphone.²

As “transportation network companies,” Uber and Lyft offer “transportation services” that:

• begin when the driver accepts a request by a passenger for transportation through the digital network or software application service, and
• end when the last passenger fully disembarks from the motor vehicle operated by the driver.³

Uber and Lyft Requirements

Chapter 706A sets forth certain minimum conditions for drivers and obligations of “transportation network companies.” These include:

• background checks of drivers’ driving and criminal histories (which Uber and Lyft evaluate every three years);
• individual business licenses for drivers and business permits for the ride-share companies;
• proof of a liability insurance policy with the minimum legal limits; and
• obedience to state and local traffic laws.

Nevada’s minimum legal limit for drivers is so-called 25/50/20 automobile insurance. This means that drivers must carry liability coverage that provides at least:

• $25,000 per person for bodily injury or death,
• $50,000 per accident for bodily injury or death (where more than one person is injured), and
• $20,000 per accident for property damage.⁴

Note that ride-share drivers are typically independent contractors of the ride-share company they drive for.

See our related article, Can I become an Uber or Lyft vehicle driver with a DUI?

2. Three Periods of Coverage for Ride-Sharing Drivers

The easiest way to think of Las Vegas ride-sharing accident laws is to divide the coverage into three periods:

• First period: No ride-hailing activity by driver
• Second period: Driver active, but waiting for a request
• Third period: Trip request accepted through end of ride

If and how you may bring a Las Vegas ride-sharing accident lawsuit depends on which period the collision occurred.

Period 1: No Ride-Hailing Activity by Driver

Period 1 applies when the driver is not carrying passengers and is not actively seeking them. In other words, the driver is using the vehicle for personal use.

During period 1, Uber and Lyft are not responsible for anything a driver does. The driver’s personal insurance coverage is the only policy that applies if the driver causes an accident.

Under Nevada law, the driver’s coverage may be as little as:

• $25,000 per person per accident for injuries or death,
• $50,000 per accident for injuries or death, and
• $20,000 for property damage.⁵

Some auto insurance companies offer Uber and Lyft drivers “ride-share insurance” also known as “gap insurance.” These optional policies provide extra coverage for ride-hail drivers when they are off-duty and do not punish them for using their cars for ride-sharing.

Period 2: Driver Active, but Waiting for a Ride Request

Period 2 (a.k.a. “driver mode”) is active when the driver has the Uber or Lyft app on but has not yet accepted an assignment.

Both Uber and Lyft provide contingent liability insurance during period 2. If the ride-share driver causes an accident during this time, their personal car insurance is the primary coverage, and the ride-sharing service’s insurer covers any excess damage up to:

• up to $50,000 per person for injury or death,
• up to $100,000 per accident for injuries or death, and
• up to $25,000 for property damage.

While this 50/100/25 coverage is clearly better than the 25/50/20 minimum required for individual drivers under Nevada law, it is still well below the 250/500/50 limits that taxicabs must carry.⁶

See our related article on our Las Vegas taxi cab accident lawyers.

Period 3: Trip Request Accepted Through End of Ride

Period 3 starts the moment the ride-share driver accepts your request (which is earlier than the passenger pick-up). It ends once the driver drops off all passengers at their destination, and the trip has ended in the app.

If the ride-share driver causes an accident during period 3, the ride-sharing service’s commercial liability policy is liable. In Nevada, both Lyft and Uber carry commercial liability insurance of at least $1,500,000 per accident for injuries, death, and property damage.⁷

Note that personal auto insurance policies usually do not cover ride-for-hire services; therefore, drivers who ride-share for companies that are not Uber or Lyft should double-check to make sure those companies provide insurance. If they do not, the ride-share drivers have only their personal insurance to rely on if they cause an accident.

3. Who can I sue?

Following an Uber or Lyft accident that was not your fault, it may be possible to file Nevada ride-sharing claims against the following parties:

• the ride-hailing company itself;
• the driver of the ride-share vehicle (though typically the driver does not have much money);
• another driver on the road who may have caused or contributed to the accident (and/or that driver’s employer, if that driver was on duty);
• the manufacturer of the vehicle if it was defective;
• the mechanics who last serviced the vehicle if they caused it to be defective; and/or
• the government, if bad roads or signage contributed to the accident.

Common grounds for a lawsuit following an Uber/Lyft accident include:

• negligence or negligence per se against the at-fault driver(s)
• negligent hiring against the ride-sharing company
• products liability against the car manufacturer

4. What damages can I recover?

Nevada ride-hailing lawsuits seek compensatory damages for:

• medical bills,
• anticipated future medical expenses,
• physical and/or occupational therapy,
• long- or short-term care,
• lost wages,
• lost earning capacity,
• car repair bills,
• disfigurement, and/or
• pain and suffering.

If someone in your family was killed during an Uber or Lyft accident, you may also be entitled to loss of support and funeral expenses through a wrongful death lawsuit.

5. What if I am partially to blame?

Nevada’s modified comparative negligence law allows you to recover damages as long as the other party was at least 50% responsible for the accident.⁸ Your final payout would just be reduced in proportion to your degree of fault.

So if you sustained $10,000 in damages after an on-duty Uber driver crashed into you, but you were found 50% at fault for failure to maintain lane prior to the crash, you could still recover up to $5,000 (half of $10,000) from Uber.

When car accident cases go to trial (which is rare), the court apportions fault among the parties. In our experience, juries will typically reduce payouts to victims who, at the time of the crash, were either:

• speeding,
• swerving,
• not wearing a seat belt,
• running a stop sign or red light,
• failing to yield,
• failing to signal,
• braking suddenly (resulting in being rear-ended),
• not wearing a helmet (if riding a motorcycle),
• drinking or driving drunk, and/or
• driving distractedly, such as by texting, eating, looking in the visor mirror, or fighting with a passenger.

Juries will also increase a victim’s percentage of fault if they were injured in the accident but failed to get prompt medical treatment or follow the doctor’s orders. The logic is that even though the victim did not cause the accident, they made their injuries worse by neglecting their medical care.

Proving Fault

It is important to note that who is at fault in an accident is often unclear. A good personal injury attorney will conduct a thorough investigation in search of all the evidence that shows the other party (or parties) was at fault. This typically includes:

• video surveillance footage;
• eyewitness accounts;
• GPS records;
• medical records;
• police reports; and
• accident reconstruction expert testimony.

6. What if the at-fault party is uninsured?

If your Uber or Lyft is hit by an uninsured driver, you can try suing them personally. However, chances are they are judgment-proof since they had too little funds to buy insurance in the first place.

Even if the at-fault driver carried the minimum insurance required by Nevada (25/50/20), your damages may still far exceed that coverage. The $25,000 bodily injury minimum can be quickly consumed by just a few nights in the hospital. Similarly, if your car is totaled, the $20,000 property damage minimum would likely cover only about half the cost of a new vehicle.

This is why it is so important for all drivers – including ride-share drivers – to maintain uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Unfortunately, Nevada does not require UM/UIM insurance, and according to their websites, Uber and Lyft appear to no longer supply it in Nevada.

7. Are the laws the same for taxis?

No. Taxi companies in Nevada are required to carry a minimum liability insurance of:

• $250,000 per person for injury or death,
• $500,000 per accident for injury or death, and
• $50,000 for property damage.

This is higher than the 25/50/20 minimum policy that covers ride-share drivers when they are not seeking customers, but it is lower than the $1.5 million policy that covers ride-share drivers who cause an accident while driving to or carrying a passenger.⁹

Furthermore, taxi-drivers are typically employees, whereas Uber and Lyft drivers are typically independent contractors. Therefore, it is easier to hold taxi companies liable for the negligence of its drivers than it is to hold Uber and Lyft liable for the negligence of its drivers.

Note that taxis are not required to carry uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage in Nevada, and it appears Uber and Lyft no longer do either.

8. Recent Settlements and Verdicts

The majority of Uber and Lyft personal injury cases resolve with a confidential settlement. Though in the highly-publicized case of an Uber self-driving car striking and killing a pedestrian in Arizona, one expert estimates that the victim’s family may have received up to $3 million (before attorneys’ fees).¹⁰

Note that there have also been cases involving allegations of sexual assault by ride-sharing drivers against passengers. In a Pennsylvania case, Lyft agreed to pay $9 million to settle a claim that a driver enabled a rape of a minor.¹¹

There is also an MDL (multi-district litigation) case against Uber with more than a thousand plaintiffs throughout the U.S. claiming sexual assault. The first trials are expected later in 2025.¹²

9. How can a lawyer help me?

Most Las Vegas accident lawsuits settle out-of-court. If there is more than one liable insurance carrier, the insurers will usually apportion the liability among themselves.

In some cases, each carrier points a finger at the other. Trying to negotiate a settlement by yourself under these conditions will usually result in your being offered “nuisance value” to go away: This amount is always less than what you deserve.

Our experienced Las Vegas car accident lawyers know how to negotiate a favorable settlement no matter how many parties are involved, and we fight for the maximum possible payout to cover all your current and anticipated expenses.

The statute of limitations in Nevada personal injury cases can be as short as two (2) years, so be sure to contact us right away to start working on your case.¹³

10 Steps to Take After an Uber or Lyft Accident

1. Call 911 and get medical help. Even if the crash is not serious, calling 911 nearly ensures that first responders will come to the scene and that law enforcement will write a police report. Even if you feel fine, allow the EMTs to examine you to see if you need first aid or a hospital.
2. Report the crash to Uber or Lyft. You can use the app or phone customer service. Delaying this step could hinder you recovering for your injuries.
3. DO NOT ADMIT FAULT. Even if you believe you caused the crash, you could be wrong. Let your attorneys investigate the incident.
4. Exchange insurance and contact information with the other involved parties. This is true even if you were just a passenger in the Uber or Lyft.
5. Document the accident scene. Use your phone to take pictures and videos of the aftermath, the location, any injuries, the Uber or Lyft decals, and the license plates of all the vehicles involved. This is all vital evidence.
6. Gather contact information from any eyewitnesses. Their statements may be necessary when the insurance parties are determining fault.
7. Get the duty status of the Uber or Lyft driver. If you were not a passenger in the ride-share car, ask them whether they were waiting for a request or had accepted a request. Their status determines which insurance company pays.
8. Go to urgent care and follow the doctor’s orders. It is not unusual for car accident injuries to take time to manifest, so always get a medical exam right away even if you believe you are uninjured. Tell the doctor what happened so they know what to look for. Also be sure to follow their treatment plan, or else the insurer will accuse you of purposely making your injuries worse. If you live outside of Nevada, get the exam in Nevada: This medical record helps prove that any injuries occurred in Nevada.
9. Do not throw anything out related to the accident. Keep all your bills, receipts, and any other evidence of your expenses caused by the crash. This will help prove the extent of your damages.
10. Call an attorney. Concentrate on healing while your lawyer concentrates on getting you the biggest settlement possible.

Additional Resources

For alternatives to ride-sharing in Nevada, refer to the following:

• Las Vegas Monorail – A quick and easy way to travel between the SAHARA Las Vegas Station and the MGM Grand Station.
• Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada – Bus system in Clark County, Nevada (which includes Las Vegas).
• Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Washoe – Bus system in Washoe County, Nevada (which includes Reno).
• Taxicab Company Contact Information – List of licensed taxi cab companies by the Department of Business and Industry Nevada Taxicab Authority.
• Getting Around Las Vegas – Overview of options by visitlasvegas.com.

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