What Pizza & Food Delivery Drivers Need to Know About Auto Insurance

Pizza delivery services — and delivery of other types of food — are in high demand. Between lingering pandemic-related concerns about dining in at crowded restaurants and the general convenience of having food delivered, there’s certainly plenty of work available for delivery drivers. And with so many restaurants hiring right now, it can seem like a great option for a side gig or a full-time job.

But what a lot of people don’t realize about pizza/food delivery drivers is that it can be a remarkably dangerous occupation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) often cites drivers/sales workers (which includes food delivery drivers along with other types of delivery drivers) as being one of the occupations with the highest rates of fatal work-related injuries. Data from the BLS shows that in 2019, drivers/sales workers had the 7th highest rate of work-related fatalities. A key reason for this is that, in addition to the risk of robbery and assault, pizza/food delivery drivers naturally spend a lot of time in their cars, which increases the odds of them getting into car accidents. And across all industries, transportation-related accidents are one of the leading causes of on-the-job injuries. 

Not only is there the general risk of getting into a car accident, there’s the added pressure of having to deliver items as quickly as possible, which can lead to risky driving behaviors. (Remember the “freaky fast” slogan that Jimmy John’s has used? Their use of that slogan has come up in at least one court case involving a car accident with a Jimmy John’s driver.) This is a key reason why the U.S. Department of Labor has many restrictions on the types of driving teens are allowed to do as part of a job, including prohibiting 17-year-old employees from making time-sensitive deliveries, like food. 

If you are considering getting a job as a food delivery driver and won’t have access to a company-owned vehicle to use, be sure to review your auto insurance policy to make sure you will be covered in the event of an on-the-job accident. Very often, the standard auto insurance policies that cover a person’s day-to-day driving do not apply to accidents that occur if the insured vehicle is being used for commercial purposes at the time of the crash. For example, if you volunteer to bring some food to a sick friend and get into a car accident along the way, that would be covered by a personal auto insurance policy. But if an accident occurs while you’re delivering food on behalf of a restaurant, that would be considered a commercial activity and would very likely fall outside the coverage of a personal auto insurance policy. The last thing you want is to get into a crash, then find out you don’t have the coverage you thought you had.

Get Help from a Michigan Car Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been injured in a car accident involving a food delivery driver, whether you were the delivery driver or an occupant in another vehicle, don’t hesitate to contact a car accident lawyer for help with your case. When one of the drivers in an accident was working at the time of the crash, there may be extra factors to consider than there would be in a standard car accident case and a lawyer will be able to make sure the correct parties are being held accountable. At Goodwin & Scieszka, we not only have decades of experience handling Michigan car accident cases, we also have experience handling workplace accident cases. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

Image: iStock / champlifezyatgmaildotcom