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Rideshare Insurance for Uber & Lyft in Maine

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Does Your Auto Insurance Protect You?

Many Maine drivers are thinking about making some extra cash by driving for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft. They often ask us if how their personal auto insurance company would respond.

Personal Insurance Does NOT Cover Rideshare Driving

As soon as you turn on the app and make yourself available to pick up a guest, you turn OFF your Maine auto insurance policy – at least all of the policies we’re aware of. Your insurance company should deny any claim – collision, liability, uninsured motorist, medical payments, rental or towing – that occurred while you were available for hire or driving a customer.

Do Uber and Lyft Insurance Policies Protect Maine Drivers?

Knowing that personal insurance policies do not cover livery (driving for a fee), rideshare companies have obtained blanket insurance policies to cover their drivers. Most companies seem to be insured with James River Insurance, based in Richmond, VA, and rated A- by A.M. Best. These policies cover you pretty well when you’re carrying a customer – but not when you’re simply available and waiting for a customer request. This chart shows when coverage applies, and how much.

RideShare Insurance in Maine

 

What are the Risks of Being an Uber Driver?

As you can see from the chart above, the insurance provided by Uber, Lyft and similar companies leave important gaps that could cost you a lot – especially in Period One, when you have the app on and are awaiting a ride request.

DURING “PERIOD ONE”:

  • Injury from an uninsured or under-insured driver. If you are waiting for a ride request and someone rear-ends you at a stop light, their liability insurance should pay for the damage to your car, and your medical bills and lost wages. But, what if they have no insurance – or not enough? Uber and Lyft policies do not pay anything to repair your car. And, because their uninsured motorist coverage drops to state minimum limits during that time, you would have little or no coverage for your medical bills.
  • Liability to Others for Injury or Property Damage. Imagine you’re waiting for a ride request. You decide to stop for a coffee. When you pull in, you accidentally step on the gas instead of the brake, plowing into the front of the coffee shop. Your rideshare insurance will only cover state minimum liability limits for injuries to others or damage to property. Because your personal auto policy doesn’t cover you during this time, you’re out of luck if damages are higher. You’ll be responsible for paying for the damages. That could mean a lot of fares in your future just to repay the damage.
  • Damage to Your Car. Rideshare insurance policies don’t pay for damage to your car from crashes, vandalism, theft or fire. If you have a loan on your vehicle, you could find yourself making payments on a car you cannot drive. And you won’t be able to make more money via driving since your vehicle is out of commission.
  • Your Insurance Company Might Cancel Your Policy. Many drivers fail to notify their auto insurance company when they start to drive for a rideshare company. And for good reason: even  though they don’t cover your rideshare activities, insurance companies generally don’t like the idea. Your vehicle is on the road a lot more, possibly at odd hours and unfamiliar locations. Even if you’re driving a customer and have collision coverage under the Uber or Lyft insurance policy, they require you to first report it to your insurance company and be denied coverage. That can be an uncomfortable conversation, and it can attract the attention of the insurance company, which may then cancel your personal policy.

Know the Consequences Before You Become an Uber Driver in Maine

It’s tempting to make some extra money during your spare time. Just know that the opportunity comes with risks. Rideshare companies are eager to sign up new drivers, and may gloss over the risks and limitations of their insurance program. Make sure you understand them before you get behind the wheel for a rideshare company.

If you have questions about your Maine auto insurance, contact  Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance in South Portland at 207-799-5541. We’re independent and committed to you.

 

Uber Comes to Portland Maine: Are Uber Drivers Insured?

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Rideshare service Uber began operating in Portland Maine at noon on October 2. Uber and its top competitor Lyft are innovative, efficient, popular – and controversial. uber screenshotEverywhere Uber and Lyft pop up, local lawmakers scramble to address it. Taxi operators and other livery drivers rail against it. And insurance companies caution drivers who might think about joining the Uber fleet.

Are Uber Drivers Insured?

If they have a personal auto policy, their own insurance will not cover them while they’re driving someone for a fee. Period. Every PAP excludes coverage while a vehicle is being used as a “public livery or conveyance“, which basically means driving others for hire. An Uber driver in an accident shouldn’t count on their personal insurance helping out.

You can’t blame insurance companies for that. If you’re driving for Uber, you’re probably driving more miles and hours than you otherwise would. You might be in areas unfamiliar to you, under time constraints, and at hours with higher congestion or impaired operators on the road. All of those increase the likelihood you could have an accident.

The Good News
Uber’s web site says that the service provides a commercial insurance policy with a $1 million limit per incident, including uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. That’s more than 90% of drivers in Maine have. It also provides $50,000 of “contingent comprehensive and collision insurance”, which should pay for repairs to an Uber driver’s vehicle as a result of an accident during an Uber trip.

Not So Good News
Uber’s insurance drops to to $50,000 per person for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage “between trips” – the absolute minimum limits allowed in Maine. That’s inadequate for most people who want to protect their assets or future earnings from an expensive lawsuit.

Uber says that most auto insurance policies will provide coverage during the time that the driver is logged on available for hire  but between trips. Talk is cheap. Don’t count on an insurance company seeing it the same way. When presented with a claim, expect an insurance company to say you were engaged in livery, just not actively driving someone – and deny your claim.

What Kind of Insurance Should an Uber Driver Have?
The only type guaranteed to cover you is a business auto policy, rated as livery use. If you insure your car with Maine commercial vehicle insurance  and are upfront about your Uber driving, you should be covered.

 Is Uber Rideshare Service Safe to Use?
If you’re thinking of taking a ride from Uber, you can expect that the driver has insurance while you’re in the vehicle. That includes if you’re hit by someone with no insurance. If you have a personal auto policy, you also have Medical Payments coverage (usually $5,000 or less) for minor medical expenses.

If you have questions about Portland Maine auto insurance or Maine business insurance, contact Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541. We’re independent and committed to you.

Data Breach! Protect Your Maine Business With Cyber Liability Insurance

Posted on by Bob O'Brien

 

Every week we hear news of another household brand name suffering a data breach. Hannaford, Target, TJ Maxx, Shaw’s, Home Depot…the list goes on.

But local businesses are not immune from hacking. Many Maine small businesses – and their customers – were shocked recently to hear about a breach at two Portland, Maine locations of Otto Pizza, a local favorite.

Otto Pizza responded to the breach candidly, and with personal comments that struck at the heart of any local business owner:

Quote from Otto Pizza about theft of their customers' data

Cyber attacks are a constant threat to your Maine office, retail store or professional practice. You no longer have to be a “big fish” to be a target. Hackers, phishers and the like are always looking for low-hanging fruit in the form of networks with poor security. After beefing up your security, you should insure your Maine business against data breach in case it does happen.

How Do Data Breaches Happen?

Some common scenarios that can lead to data breach in your business or professional practice:

  • Unauthorized access – hackers gain access to your POS system or computer network.
  • Theft of Computers – Someone steals your laptop, backup data or server that holds customer or employee personal information.
  • Improper Disposal of client or patient records.
  • Human Error – your bookkeeper mixes up 1099 forms and mails them in the wrong envelopes, exposing personal information to others.

 

Sobering Data Breach Statistics

 

infographic: Statistics about business data breaches

 

 

 What Does Data Breach Cyber Liability Insurance Pay For?

What does Cyber Liability Insurance pay for?

Cost of Maine Cyber Liability Insurance

Data breach protection is a surprisingly affordable addition to most Maine small business insurance portfolios. Coverage for basic limits such as $10,000 first party and $25,000 third party are available for premiums as low as $150 per year.

What to Do in Case of a Data Breach at Your Business

  1. Notify the police immediately
  2. Report the breach to your business insurance agent or company
  3. Take all steps to protect any confidential data remaining in your control.
  4. Preserve all evidence of the breach itself.

For answers to your Maine business insurance questions, including data breach and cyber liability insurance, contact a Noyes Hall & Allen agent in South Portland at 207-799-5541. We represent many insurance companies so we can help you find the best insurance fit for your business and budget. We’re independent and committed to you.

FMI:

Payment Card Security Standards

CyberRisk 2014 White Paper by Insurance Information Institute

Can I Replace Building Materials With Green Ones After an Insurance Claim?

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Portland, Maine is a hotbed of green living. Maybe its our proximity to the sea and mountains. Or the people we attract from around the USA and the world. Whatever the reason, many Portlanders care about the environment, and make lifestyle choices accordingly.

Our farm-to-table game is strong. The cool kids here buy local, with Portland Buy Local and South Portland Cape Elizabeth Buy Local leading the charge. The cities of Portland and South Portland are converting landfills to solar farms. We have an award-winning private community composting service, Garbage to Garden. We even discuss green living over beer at Portland Greendrinks.

It’s only natural that many locals choose to repair or replace any damage to their home with “green” materials and technology. Now, they may be able to get help from their insurance companies. “Off the shelf” home or condo insurance won’t pay to replace your old oil boiler with super-efficient heat pumps. Or replace your water heater with a solar setup after a fire. Fortunately, Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance represents  insurance companies that will.

Going Beyond What You Lost

Traditional homeowners or condo insurance is designed to put you in the same condition after a loss that you were before (“indemnity”, in legalese). Your insurance company promises to replace the items you lost with “like kind and quality”. If your home had green materials, the insurance company will replace them. If you didn’t have them before, you can upgrade at your own additional cost.

Upgrade to Green Materials After Your Home is Damaged

Say your home had traditional materials and technology, and you suffered a fire. You want to replace what you lost with greener options, like bamboo flooring, solar and geothermal heating, low-VOC paints, and high efficiency insulation. Some of these may save money in the long run, but initially cost more than their traditional counterparts. Basic insurance policies only pay to replace what you lost with “like kind and quality”. But there are options.

Two Insurers that Pay for Green Upgrades

In response to customer demand, Concord Group and Travelers, have introduced “green home insurance endorsements”. These provide an additional amount of coverage to replace with environmentally-friendly, non-toxic or energy efficient options. Usually, there is a maximum amount of additional coverage as well.

These endorsements are inexpensive – often $2-3 a month. 

Would You Choose to Rebuild or Repair “Green”?

We can help. For Greater Portland Maine home, condo or vacation home insurance, contact Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541. Because we’re a locally-owned Trusted Choice Independent Insurance agency, we offer choice among many insurance companies.

We’ll help you find the best value for your individual circumstance. Of course, we also offer Maine auto, motorcycle and boat insurance and insurance for Maine businesses as well. We’re always happy to answer your insurance questions.

Contact your Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance agent  at 207-799-5541 for details. We’re independent and committed to you.

Insuring College Students

Posted on by Bob O'Brien

Insuring college students may not be top of mind if you’re sending a one of your kids off to school. Your household is probably buzzing with activity and emotion. If your student is a freshman, there’s the added anxiety of doing it for the first time.

Insuring college students doesn't have to be expensive. You may already have what you need.

Many clients ask our Maine insurance agency these questions about insurance for college students:

Insuring College Students’ Property

Does your homeowners insurance cover a college student? Generally, yes. If they’re living in college housing, they’re still considered part of your household. Your homeowners policy covers their books, clothes, jewelry, electronics and other property. Even their liability.

What if you have a condo or renters insurance policy? Still covered. Remember, the coverage limitations your policy has for jewelry and money apply to your kids away at school, too.

What if your student does not live in college housing? Coverage can vary greatly in these situations. Consult your agent.

Insuring College Students for a “Semester Abroad”

If your student is still a household member, your policy covers their belongings anywhere. Even overseas. Liability is a little trickier. If they accidentally damage property or injure someone, your homeowners policy defends any suit brought in the U.S.

Need broader protection? Some personal umbrella policies will also defend against worldwide liability suits. This is another great reason to buy Maine personal umbrella insurance.

International car insurance? You’re out of luck there. NO US auto policies cover outside of the country, it’s territories and Canada. If your student is driving in a foreign country, make other insurance arrangements there.

Car Insurance for College Students

If your child still lives at home when not in school, they’re covered under you auto insurance. That includes if they’re injured by an uninsured driver, whether they’re driving, walking, cycling or a passenger.

If your child is not taking a car to school, you may get an auto insurance discount. The school must be more than 100 miles away from your home.

Don’t forget to ask your agent about the “good student discount” on auto insurance and other car insurance discounts.

Insuring College Students Medical Bills

Noyes Hall & Allen does not sell medical insurance, so we are not experts on this topic. Ask your medical insurance provider for their advice. If your family has no insurance coverage, then it may be a good idea to buy the college’s plan.

Have questions about Maine auto insurance, personal umbrella insurance or homeowners insurance? Contact Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance at 207-799-5541. As a locally owned Trusted Choice independent insurance agency, We represent many of Maine’s best insurance companies. We offer choice as well as professional advice. We’re independent and committed to you.

WreckCheck App Review: What do Do After an Auto Accident?

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We recently tried WreckCheck, a new free app from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)  that promises help reporting an auto accident to your insurance company.  In our opinion,  it’s the best auto-accident app we’ve seen yet.

WreckCheck allows you to enter your insurance policy information ahead of time, so you’ll have it handy in case of accident (Make sure you your insurance card is also in the glove box , in case your phone is missing or damaged).

What to Do After an Auto Accident

Even the most level-headed person can be flustered after an accident. What to do first? What information do I need? That’s where WreckCheck comes in. Just open the app and follow the prompts. The screens are simple and easy to use.

WreckCheck's Checklist Screen
The opening screen is simple and easy to use.

First, WreckCheck has a big red button to call 911. After you’ve reported the accident, if you’re safe and well enough, the app really becomes useful.

WreckCheck captures the accident’s location using your phone’s GPS, and prompts you to record the scene using your smartphone camera and microphone. There’s also a free-form text box to explain what happened. Finally, there’s a simple form prompting you for  information about the other vehicle, driver and passengers, including their insurance info. You can even record information about the responding police officer.

Once you’re done, email the whole report to your Maine auto insurance agent with the push of a button. WreckCheck is available in Apple iOS and Google Android format.

We like WreckCheck for several reasons:

  • It’s thorough. The app prompts you to gather all of the information your insurance company would need to start a claim.
  • It’s easy. The user interface is clean, and you can enter information by photo, voice or text.
  • It’s flexible. Many insurance companies have their own apps, which is great until you decide to shop for auto insurance and switch companies. With WreckCheck, you simply update your policy data and your insurance contact information. Even better, if you use a Maine Trusted Choice agent – who represents several insurance companies, all you have to do is change your company and policy number in the app. It can even be used to report commercial vehicle insurance claims.
  • It’s FREE!

 If you are looking for a locally-owned tech-savvy Portland Maine area insurance agency that offers a choice of many preferred insurance companies to protect your home, autos, toys or business, you should contact Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance. We’re independent and committed to you.

Should You Share Your Car? Think Twice!

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Car sharing services like Zipcar and U Car Share have grown in popularity, as more city dwellers eschew car ownership, preferring to rent a vehicle when they need one. This seems to be an innovative, cost-effective and sensible way to solve personal transportation needs for many Americans.

We have followed this trend for several years, providing insurance advice about using a car share service, and cautioning our clients to protect themselves first. After all, when you’re sharing a vehicle, you could potentially be sharing something much more important: liability.

The car sharing idea has evolved even further. Now, private vehicle owners can offer their vehicles for rent through peer-to-peer car sharing services like RelayRides. It’s sort of like Zipcar in reverse: you can rent your idle vehicle to someone who needs it temporarily. Realizing that insurance companies would not approve of (or cover) this kind of use, RelayRides offers a $1 million liability policy. That’s more liability coverage than most people have on their own personal auto policies. But believe it or not, it may not be enough.

Take the case of Massachusetts resident Liz Fong-Jones, a 24-year-old MIT grad and Google alum. Ms. Fong-Jones shared her car through RelayRides. The driver was killed in a tragic accident, and 3 passengers were critically injured. Suddenly, $1 million may not be enough insurance. If the accident damages exceed that, who will be responsible? Probably not Ms. Fong-Jones’ insurer; personal auto policies exclude such behavior.

Will that leave Ms. Fong-Jones’ assets and future earnings vulnerable to lawsuit? That remains to be seen. But, it is another cautionary tale about using car share services. This is just the scenario we were worried about with our original posts 3 years ago.

If you have questions about insurance for renting a car for business or personal use, or would like to know more about how car sharing affects your Maine auto insurance, contact Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541.

 

Does Homeowners Insurance Protect You Against Ill-Advised Posts?

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Most of us have said something in the past that we wish we could take back. Years ago, we could hope that once said, the words went no further. These days, your comments can last for years, and be shared among millions. With so many of us using Twitter, Facebook and other social media, ill-advised words and videos can spread at blazing speed.

Hurtful Words Can Be Costly

Bullying Facebook updates, accusatory tweets, teasing posts, or videos revealing private information about someone can expose you to liability under slander, libel or invasion of privacy laws. The most recent public example of this is the guilty verdict against the New Jersey college student who posted video of his college roommate, creating ridicule that led to the roommate’s tragic suicide. What if your child was accused of one of these crimes? You may be surprised to find that a standard Maine homeowners insurance policy wouldn’t provide protection for this.

A Small Coverage Addition Makes a Big Difference

Maine homeowners policies provide liability protection against bodily injury and property damage due to negligence. Damage to someone’s reputation doesn’t fall into either category. That’s why our South Portland Maine Insurance agency recommends that our clients choose Personal Injury coverage. What is Personal injury insurance? It protects you against accusations of slander, libel, defamation of character and invasion of privacy. It can pay the damages in a civil suit, and more important, the legal costs of defense. Personal injury coverage is usually an add-on endorsement. The cost is usually about $25 per year – a bargain for up to $500,000 in protection.

Talk to Your Children About Online Behavior

Of course, the best defense against these kinds of accusations is to stay away from risky behavior. Talk to your children about social media, how they use it and what’s expected of them. Let them know how their behavior could impact their own reputation – not to mention your insurance. Some parents choose to actively monitor their children’s computer activities. Various commercial software programs are available to parents who want to closely monitor what their children’s online activities.
No matter what you choose to do, we should all encourage respectful discourse and behavior – online and “IRL” (In Real Life).  For more information about Personal Injury Insurance in Maine, contact a Noyes Hall & Allen agent at 207.799.5541.

Three Ways to Keep Epsilon Spammers from Phishing Your Money!

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On March 30, Epsilon, one of the world’s largest email marketing companies, reported a breach of their system.  Epsilon sends more than 40 billion emails a year to consumers who register on one of their clients’ websites or who give their email addresses while shopping.

Have You Received an Email Like This One?

“Dear Valued Customer,
On March 30th, we were informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that files containing the email addresses of some [company name here] customers were accessed without authorization.”

Millions of people have. As of April 18, 2011, clients of more than 100 companies and brands have been hit, including big names like GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, Radio Shack, PacSun, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, J. Jill, Sears, Crate & Barrel, Walgreens and Abercrombie & Fitch.

According to Epsilon, the breach was limited to email addresses or customer names only; they report that no other personal identifiable information was stolen. Despite that, many security experts are concerned about the implications.

Having even a person’s email address and their spending habits or favorite brands may make it easier to craft a sophisticated phishing attack. For example, you could get an email that appears to be from a company you know and trust, asking you to log in and provide  information that may seem harmless. This nefarious technique is called “spear-phishing”.

Prevent Phishing Attacks

1.  Stay on guard – especially now. Be extra careful about where you click and what information you enter on a website.

2.  Scrutinize emails from any company. Look for typos and strange URLs. Look at the email address of the sender. Don’t click on those links!

3.  Call the company in question if you get a suspicious email,. No company should be asking you for sensitive information by email.

If you have questions about identity theft in Maine, contact Noyes Hall & Allen, a Maine Trusted Choice independent insurance agent. If you’re looking for Maine data breach business insurance, our business insurance specialists can help.  Call us at 207-799-5541.

Thanks to Steve Anderson for sharing these tips, which we’re sharing with his permission.

Progressive Snapshot Debuts in Maine. 5 Questions To Ask to See if It’s Right for You

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Progressive Insurance’s Snapshot auto insurance discount launches in Maine today, featuring rates up to 30% less than before. Our South Portland, Maine insurance agency has been certified to sell this ground-breaking safe driving and low-mileage auto insurance discount. It features a small device that you install in your vehicle, which monitors your driving habits and may provide an auto insurance discount depending upon the results.

Our March 15 blog post featured a detailed explanation of Progressive’s Snapshot auto insurance discount, along with our opinion about it. We received a lot of compliments about that review, from other agents, vendors – even Progressive itself.

Is it Right For You?

The answers to these 5 questions will probably tell you.

1. Do you avoid driving regularly between midnight and 4am?

2. Do you avoid driving in heavily congested traffic?

3. Do you drive fewer than 8,000 miles a year?

4. Are you a “patient driver” (rarelybrake hard or accelerate rapidly)?

5. Will you plug a device into your car that automatically reports your driving information directly to your insurance company?

If you answered “yes” to 2 or 3 of the first 4 questions, Snapshot may be a good fit for you. If you answered “no” to question 5, forget it; you can only earn Snapshot discounts by installing (and leaving) the device in your vehicle. Remember, Snapshot is optional, and you can choose which of your vehicles you want to enroll in the discount program.

Your Maine Progressive insurance agent can advise you best. If you live in the Portland, Maine auto insurance market, call Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541. If you’re outside our market area, call your local Progressive agent.