Uber drivers risk losing insurance policies

OTTAWA — If you’re thinking of picking up some extra cash as an Uber driver, you might want to take a very close look at your insurance policy.

Philomena Comerford, President and CEO of Baird MacGregor Insurance, says most of us are covered by a personal auto insurance policy, and those policies exclude carrying paying passengers.

She says if you’re driving for Uber and you find yourself responsible for a collision, your insurance might not cover it.

And, she says, if your insurance company finds out you’re carrying paying passengers when your policy doesn’t allow for it, your policy can be cancelled.

“Every time you put the key in the ignition, be cognizant of the fact that you are not covered for that activity,” says Comerford.

She says it’s not just the Uber driver that is taking a risk.

“Anybody traveling as a passenger would be exposed to uninsured risks. Pedestrians or cyclists that might get hit by that vehicle are posed with an uninsured risk, as are motorists and other vehicles that might be involved in accidents where the UberX vehicle is at fault.”