I normally do not post anything that is not rather directly related to workers’ compensation. I think, however, that this is an important change in policy and is good news for people who are injured, but it is also good news for some of the people in the gig economy.
As I am sure you have noticed, there has been a significant increase in gig employment and gig economic activity. We have seen the rise of Airbnb and Vrbo so you’re not stuck simply going to a hotel.
Likewise, we have seen a significant increase in private taxi services (i.e. Uber and Lyft). While it is a great way for some people to make some money, in my opinion they frequently are taken advantage of by the company.
One of the larger problems has been a complete lack of regulation of all of the gig economic activities. In Oregon, the governor just signed HB 2393 into law so that drivers (and more importantly their cars) will have PIP benefits. What that means is if there is a motor vehicle accident involving an Uber or Lyft car and their passenger is injured there will be personal injury protection which will pay a certain amount of medical costs and will pay wage loss. Both the driver and any passengers will be covered.
Given the fact that there are over 11 million Uber or Lyft rides in the Portland area every year, this means that a significant number of people will be protected in a motor vehicle accident regardless of who is at fault, or even if no one is at fault.
As is usual, making sure that people get benefits can be somewhat difficult since insurance companies exist to take in premiums and not to pay out benefits. Nonetheless, the insurance companies negotiated on this legislation and ultimately agreed to the law. This is a win for both the drivers and their passengers and will help ensure that injured Oregonians are taken care of when there is an accident.
