Uber now insures drivers (and passengers) whenever its ridesharing app is turned on (update)

Surge pricing and conflict over its presence (in some cities) aren't the only issues facing Uber and other ridesharing services these days. Unanswered questions abound about who pays when an UberX driver gets into an accident. Rather than wait for insurance companies to figure things out -- and continue leaving its drivers and customers in a potential coverage no man's land -- Uber's extending its insurance policy to offer contingent coverage when a driver has the Uber app on, but isn't on a trip. Prior to this change, drivers' personal policies were the only insurance available, and it's unclear whether personal insurance will always apply in such instances. So, that's why Uber's now offering coverage up to $100,000 for bodily injuries (at a max $50,000 per person) and up to $25,000 for property damage if an accident happens and the driver's personal policy won't pay out.

The coverage the company's offering is certainly better than nothing, but it's far from the $1 million policy that kicks in when drivers are actually on a trip, and provides a lot less than most personal policies, too. That said, it's also important to mention that the move is really a stopgap measure. According to Uber, it wants to help out drivers "while the insurance industry and state governments update policies and regulations for the new world of ridesharing transportation." Makes sense to us, but might we recommend joining the Peer-to-Peer Rideshare Insurance Coalition to help them along?

Update: Uber contacted us to let us know that they are already a part of the coalition -- glad they took our advice before we gave it. Oh, and so did Uber competitor Lyft, which contacted us to say that it'll "provide backstop coverage to drivers when they are in match mode and are not providing rides. We will be rolling this out state-by-state in the days to come."

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Source: Uber

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California court: Drivers can use smartphone maps, for now

Google Maps (left) and Apple Maps on smartphones.

(Credit:Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Texting or chatting on the phone while driving is illegal in California, but the law seems still to be catching up with technology when it comes to other aspects of smartphone use behind the wheel.

A court of appeals has reversed an earlier court decision that ruled map reading on a cell phone was taboo under the law, according to the Associated Press. The 5th District Court of Appeal said the law currently applies only to talking and texting on mobile devices and doesn't yet have legal language for app use.

The case came about in January 2012 after Fresno resident Steven Spriggs got a ticket for checking his iPhone 4 map when he was caught in a traffic jam, according to the AP. While he was searching for a better route on his phone, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped him and fined him $165.

Related storiesGoogle Maps Gallery debuts as Web's interactive digital atlasGoogle Maps charts the frozen home of the polar bearNokia's Here Maps to expand to all Windows 8.1 devicesBehold Google Street View's Taj Mahal imageryGoogle Map Maker expands to more corners of Europe After losing a challenge to the case in traffic court, Spriggs appealed the ticket to a Fresno County Superior Court. He lost again. Undeterred, he brought the case to the district court of appeals.

The panel of appellate judges ruled in favor of Spriggs, saying California law stipulates that "listening and talking" on cell phones without a hands-free device is illegal, but it doesn't specify other ways in which phone use is unlawful, according to the AP.

While this is a clear win for Spriggs, and he'll be able to get back his $165, the case could be appealed by the state attorney general's office to the California Supreme Court.

Topics: Smartphones, Apps, Corporate and legal Tags: California, law, appeals court, texting while driving, driving, smartphone, fine, map app, talking while driving

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Ford highlights V2V safety tech with daredevil drivers

Ford is putting this Taurus in near-accident situations during the run of CES 2014.

(Credit:Wayne Cunningham/CNET)

LAS VEGAS -- I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a Ford Taurus as the driver accelerates toward a green light. Suddenly, a red warning light flashes on the windshield and an alert tone sounds off. The driver hits the brakes, and another car goes flying by, across our path at the intersection.

While this was a demonstration at a fake intersection, with Ford drivers piloting each car, we were traveling at speed and there was certainly the potential for a crash. It was a recreation of a real-world situation that happens everyday at intersections.

However, the reason why the Taurus was able to alert the driver with light and sound, came down to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system (V2V) installed in each car.

The V2V system includes GPS and a Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) transceiver operating over the 802.11p standard. Each car was sending its GPS location out, including current path and speed, while receiving broadcasts from other cars in the vicinity.

The Taurus received the telemetry data from the car crossing our path, quickly calculated the potential for a collision, and alerted the driver to hit the brakes. Systems such as this are likely to be implemented in all cars, possibly by federal mandate, in the near future and will prevent collisions and fatalities.

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