Uber and Lyft Driver Background Checks: Can Philadelphia Accident Victims Hold Companies Accountable for Negligent Hiring?

Uber and Lyft are now a part of daily transportation in Philadelphia, whether someone is heading to work, picking up groceries, or returning home after a night out with friends. Most passengers trust that the driver who arrives has been properly screened and is safe to ride with.

When a serious crash happens, however, many victims discover that the driver’s background should have raised red flags long before they ever accepted a ride. These situations quickly shift from simple negligence to questions of corporate responsibility. This is why many injured passengers turn to a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer when they suspect that negligent hiring contributed to the crash.

Pennsylvania requires Transportation Network Companies to conduct background checks and meet specific safety obligations, but these requirements differ from the fingerprint-based checks required for taxi drivers, school bus operators, and other regulated transportation services. When a rideshare company clears a driver with prior dangerous behavior or disqualifying issues, passengers can be exposed to entirely avoidable harm. If that driver later causes a collision, victims have the right to question whether the company’s screening and monitoring practices were enough to keep the public safe.

Negligent Hiring in Rideshare Cases

Negligent hiring occurs when a company fails to use reasonable care when selecting people who will interact with the public. In the rideshare world, this means examining whether Uber or Lyft properly checked the driver’s background, driving record, criminal history, and any prior safety complaints before approving them to transport passengers. When a driver has a history of DUI arrests, violent conduct, license suspensions, or repeated traffic violations, these issues can become critical evidence.

Rideshare companies often argue that their drivers are independent contractors, suggesting that the company itself is not directly responsible. But negligent hiring focuses on the company’s own conduct, not the employment classification. If a corporation allows someone unfit to drive under its platform, that decision can form the basis of liability. For people suffering from traumatic injuries, long-term disabilities, chronic pain, or loss of income, identifying negligent hiring can be essential to recovering the full financial support needed for medical care and stability.

Pennsylvania Law and Corporate Accountability

Pennsylvania law recognizes that companies have a duty to act with reasonable care when their actions place others at risk. For Uber and Lyft, this includes screening drivers, reviewing records, and ensuring that unsafe individuals are not permitted to pick up passengers. When a rideshare crash results in serious injuries, victims may bring claims for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, or negligent retention if the evidence shows the company overlooked or failed to respond to important safety information.

Comparative negligence under 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102 still applies, meaning courts may consider whether multiple parties contributed to the crash. Even so, negligent hiring claims focus directly on the company’s approval process and whether it failed to prevent foreseeable harm. Building these cases often requires examining internal documents, company safety reports, and industry standards to determine whether Uber or Lyft should have known the driver posed a risk.

Gaps in Rideshare Background Checks

Although Uber and Lyft conduct periodic background checks, several states and safety agencies have identified gaps where drivers with serious criminal histories, dangerous driving records, or past allegations remained active on the apps. In some instances, drivers who should have been removed were left online despite multiple complaints. These failures place the public at heightened risk and can lead to devastating injuries.

For victims, the aftermath of a rideshare crash can feel overwhelming. Medical bills, hospital visits, physical therapy, missed work, and emotional distress can disrupt every part of life. When the crash was caused by a driver who should never have been approved in the first place, the frustration becomes even more intense. Many people seek guidance from Philadelphia car accident lawyers who understand how to uncover corporate safety failures and evaluate the full impact of a victim’s injuries under Pennsylvania personal injury law.

How Victims Prove Negligent Hiring

To establish negligent hiring, evidence must show that the rideshare company failed to use reasonable care when evaluating or monitoring the driver. This may involve proving that Uber or Lyft ignored past convictions, approved a driver with disqualifying traffic violations, failed to verify required documentation, or did not act when complaints were filed. Negligent supervision claims may arise if the company failed to remove a driver who repeatedly engaged in unsafe conduct.

Because rideshare companies often challenge these claims aggressively, victims benefit from working with attorneys who know how to obtain internal records, analyze screening procedures, and identify safety violations. A careful investigation can uncover whether corporate negligence contributed to the crash and whether the company failed to protect its passengers.

Why Accountability Matters After a Rideshare Crash

Uber and Lyft provide insurance coverage when transporting passengers, but insurance alone does not answer the larger question of corporate responsibility. When a preventable collision occurs because an unsafe driver was approved or allowed to remain active, accountability becomes essential. Many injured individuals pursue claims not only to secure compensation, but also to encourage safer screening practices that protect other passengers throughout Philadelphia.

Contact The Villari Firm

If you were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident and believe negligent hiring or inadequate driver screening played a role, The Villari Firm can help. Our attorneys have extensive experience investigating rideshare liability, exposing corporate safety failures, and fighting for the compensation victims deserve.

Speak with a Philadelphia Lyft and Uber accident attorney today to learn more about your rights and the steps available to protect your recovery and your future.

Sources:

• 53 Pa. C.S. ch. 57A – Transportation Network Companies (Pennsylvania General Assembly)
• 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102 – Comparative Negligence (Pennsylvania General Assembly)
• NHTSA – Behavioral Research (Driver Behavior and Safety)
• NHTSA / DOT – Traffic Safety Facts 2021 Data: Passenger Vehicles
• CDC – Emergency Department Visits for Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries, United States, 2019–2020 (NCHS Data Brief No. 466)