Senior Partner, Allan Siegel, Invited to Testify at Public Oversight Meeting on For-Hire Vehicles
The Committee on Public Works and Operations in Washington, D.C., convened a public oversight roundtable meeting to examine “The state of the For-Hire Vehicle Industry.” The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and brought together a wide range of stakeholders to address pressing issues affecting rideshare passengers, drivers, and the general public.
Presenters at the roundtable included representatives from the D.C. Taxicab and Limousine Commission, rideshare industry advocates, labor organizations representing gig workers and drivers, transportation policy analysts, and community advocates focused on public safety and consumer protection. The goal of the meeting was to gather testimony from multiple perspectives on how for-hire vehicle companies, including Uber and Lyft, are operating in the District and what legislative or regulatory action may be needed.
Why Was Allan Siegel Invited To Speak At This Meeting?
Allan Siegel is a Senior Partner at Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and has spent decades representing individuals seriously injured in car accidents throughout Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region. His extensive personal injury practice has given him firsthand knowledge of how insurance gaps devastate crash victims and their families, including those injured in rideshare accidents involving Uber and Lyft. He is the current Vice Chair of the American Association for Justice Rideshare Litigation Group.
In addition to his legal practice, Allan Siegel previously served as President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. That role positioned him as a recognized voice on issues of civil justice, consumer protection, and the legal rights of injured people. His combination of on-the-ground legal experience and advocacy leadership made him a natural choice to testify before the Committee on matters directly tied to rideshare insurance coverage and road safety.
What Testimony Did Allan Siegel Provide At the Roundtable?
Allan Siegel’s testimony focused on a specific and urgent issue: the decision by rideshare companies to reduce or eliminate uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) insurance coverage for their drivers and passengers. He provided the committee with real-world evidence of the harm this creates and called for Washington, D.C. to restore minimum coverage requirements similar to those already in place in neighboring Virginia.
When Uber first entered the D.C. market in 2011, the company carried $1 million in UM/UIM coverage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uber quietly canceled its UIM coverage entirely and reduced its UM coverage to just $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident. Lyft made similar changes. Siegel argued that this shift has left passengers, drivers, and taxpayers exposed to serious financial harm.
Key points from Allan Siegel’s testimony:
- A real case with devastating consequences. In March 2023, a Lyft driver and two passengers were killed after a drunk driver crossed the center line on Rock Creek Parkway. Because the at-fault driver had no insurance and Lyft carried no UM coverage, the three families shared just $200,000 from the driver’s personal policy, roughly $66,000 each. The $1 million in UIM coverage Lyft previously carried would have provided meaningful support for those families.
- Passengers assume they are covered. When someone gets into an Uber or Lyft, they reasonably expect the vehicle to be properly insured. Many rideshare users, particularly seniors and lower-income residents who do not own personal vehicles, have no car insurance of their own and are entirely dependent on the rideshare company’s coverage in the event of a crash.
- D.C. taxpayers bear the cost. When rideshare companies do not carry adequate UM/UIM coverage, the financial burden often falls on the District. Medicaid frequently covers medical expenses for uninsured crash victims. A single emergency department visit in a D.C. hospital can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Catastrophic injuries requiring surgery and rehabilitation can exceed $100,000. These are costs that Uber and Lyft are shifting onto the public.
- More rideshare miles means more crashes. Studies show that rideshare vehicles do not reduce the number of cars on the road. They replace transit trips, not personal vehicle trips, which increases overall vehicle miles traveled. Rideshare vehicles spend 40 to 50 percent of their time driving without passengers, and a 2019 University of Chicago study estimated that rideshare services add approximately 1,000 additional traffic fatalities nationwide each year.
- Virginia already requires this coverage. Under Virginia Code Section 46.2-2099.52, rideshare companies operating in Virginia must carry $1 million in liability and UM/UIM coverage during active rides. D.C. should adopt a similar standard.
Siegel concluded by calling on the committee to require rideshare companies to restore $1 million in UM/UIM coverage, consistent with what they originally carried when entering the D.C. market. He emphasized that for multi-billion-dollar companies like Uber and Lyft, insurance premiums are a manageable business expense. The cost of going without adequate coverage is borne by the families, communities, and public systems that are left to absorb the consequences of their business decisions.
Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. | Rideshare Car Accident Lawyers for Washington, D.C.
If you or a loved one were injured in a rideshare accident involving Uber or Lyft in Washington, D.C., you need a legal team that understands the complexity of these cases and the insurance issues that often arise in them. The attorneys at Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. bring decades of experience representing seriously injured clients throughout the D.C. region. Allan Siegel and his colleagues know how these companies operate, what coverage they carry, and how to fight for the full compensation you deserve.
You will be treated with genuine care and respect from the first conversation. The firm handles every case with the attention and commitment that a life-changing injury demands.
Schedule a free consultation today. Call Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. to speak directly with a rideshare accident attorney who will review your case and explain your options at no cost to you.
