Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Pushes Law to Hold Delivery Companies Liable for Rider Accidents
Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Meital Lehabi is spearheading a legislative proposal aimed at holding delivery companies responsible for traffic accidents involving their riders. The proposed law, drafted by Lehabi's office, seeks to establish vicarious liability for delivery platforms regarding bodily injury or property damage caused to third parties due to rider negligence. This liability would apply when the damage stems from factors controlled by the platform, such as unreasonable delivery timeframes or hazardous navigation technology.
Lehabi stated, "The principle I am advancing is simple: whoever controls the risk must mitigate it." She explained that previous court rulings had dismissed lawsuits against delivery companies due to the absence of an employer-employee relationship with riders. The proposal draws inspiration from approaches taken by other developed nations facing similar business models.
According to Lehabi, delivery companies manage entire transportation networks through algorithms, dictating tasks, deadlines, incentives, and rankings. Therefore, she argues, they should bear vicarious safety liability for accidents generated by this system. The current model, where riders are often classified as independent contractors rather than employees, limits the platforms' responsibility for rider conduct and safety, despite the platforms' algorithmic control over work allocation, time targets, and performance-based incentives that encourage rapid, sometimes unlawful, riding.
Beyond direct liability, the proposed law would mandate that platforms provide rider training and oversight, and collect data on speeds, working hours, fatigue patterns, and traffic violations. Failure to comply could result in vicarious liability for damages. The bill also calls for mandatory identification for riders, enabling local inspectors to demand identification and issue administrative fines, suspend operating permits, and hold managers personally liable for violations. It would prohibit using time metrics for punishing riders, require quarterly safety reports from platforms, and mandate insurance for all riders.
Lehabi emphasized that the legislation is not intended to target riders or the delivery service industry itself but to protect both riders and the public. "It is inconceivable that this real-time data on routes, pace, and operating hours is used to optimize deliveries but not to prevent the next accident," she asserted. "The profit cannot be with the platform while the risk is with the rider and the public."
