‘I don’t pay.’
A stand-up comic and DoorDash driver posted a money-saving hack on a viral TikTok. The driver, who goes by Real Mullet Kid (@realmulletkid) on the popular social media platform, detailed the particulars of a phone call he had with a car insurance rep. In it, he shared that he told DoorDash he’s making deliveries by bicycle despite driving a car for the job.
“Allstate just called me and said that they could offer me a lower car insurance rate than what I’m paying now,” he begins. “They asked me what I’m paying. I said zero. He’s like, ‘You don’t pay for car insurance?’ I said, ‘No. I haven’t paid in like three years on any of my cars.’”
The revelation stunned the insurance company representative, who inquired more into the DoorDash driver’s commuting habits. “He goes, ‘You have multiple cars?’ ‘I have two. OK, I don’t pay. I haven’t paid insurance in like three years. I probably saved $20,000.’”
After sharing how much money he was able to keep for himself rather than give to an insurance agency, the salesperson said the DoorDasher was breaking the law by not insuring his vehicles. “He goes, ‘You know that’s illegal?’ And I was like, ‘I’ve saved $20,000.’ I was like, ‘On DoorDash, bro, I label my car as a bicycle, so I don’t even have to register it as a car,” he says before smiling and signing off on his video.
In a caption for the post, the Real Mullet Kid doubles down on his money-saving technique, writing: “My car is registered as a bike on DoorDash.” The E-Bike business Whizz opined on the benefits of opting for a bike over a car when making deliveries for DoorDash. According to the company, packed city streets can sometimes be easier to navigate on a bicycle. Furthermore, Dashers don’t need to spend as much time looking for parking when making deliveries on two wheels.
Additionally, there’s some verbiage on Whizz’s website that could hint that more than a few DoorDash drivers engage in the same money-saving practice Real Mullet Kid shared in his video. “While there is no strict law that forbids you from using a car while using the app on bike mode … we would advise against it,” the site states.
The E-Bike supplier explained why, stating that delivering meals by bike and then showing up in a car is ultimately a bad idea. First, delivery estimates will be wildly off. That’s because DoorDash’s system calculates the time for a delivery based on the type of vehicle the Dasher registered. Also, insurance claims can be a problem for drivers who lie to DoorDash reps about their mode of transportation. As Whizz writes, “The app’s insurance is tailored to your vehicle type.” Consequently, if you get into an accident while bringing someone their Taco Bell order in your car, but DoorDash thought you were biking there, you could run into some big issues. Moreover, the food delivery application will probably give you more local deliveries if you tell them that you’re biking and not driving in a car, which will narrow your delivery area.
If what the Real Mullet Kid says is true, then it’s contrary to other anecdotes shared by different DoorDash drivers online. Folks in this Reddit thread on the site’s r/DoorDashDrivers sub stated that individuals who say they’re dashing in bike mode but use cars risk account deactivation.
The conversation was started by a user on the social media site who was curious about registering their account to bicycle mode but using a car instead. One person who replied said that “the system observes you doing 60 MPH on the freeway,” which results in “your account [getting] automatically flagged for fraud.”
This prompted OP to ask if lying about your mode of transportation was illegal. But another Reddit user corroborated what Whizz wrote on its website. I.e., that it’s not against the law, but it could get you permanently banned from making deliveries for DoorDash.
However, another user in the same thread echoed that they had the same success rate as Real Mullet Kid. According to them, they’ve been dashing for three years, just like Real Mullet Kid, and have been successfully completing deliveries in a car while the account is registered in bike mode. They also mentioned that they were making deliveries in the Downtown Los Angeles area. However, they didn’t mention whether or not their vehicle was insured.
According to this Yahoo! Finance article, there is only one state in America that doesn’t require you to have car insurance to put a vehicle on the road: New Hampshire. But that doesn’t mean drivers can just buy a car and hit the road. Commuters behind the wheel must still prove they are able to cover the expenses incurred if they’re considered at-fault for an accident, which could ultimately cost them more than auto insurance premiums.
And all other 49 states have varying minimum coverage thresholds. In New Jersey, for instance, drivers must be insured for at least $5,000 per accident and $15,000 for personal injury protection (PIP). This is a stark contrast to Minnesota, which requires $10,000 per accident and up to $40,000 in personal injury protection. Mississippi and Missouri don’t require any PIP for insurance claims. So when you’re shopping around for car insurance, be sure to check and see what your state’s requirements are.
Motor1 has reached out to the Real Mullet Kid via TikTok direct message and DoorDash via email for further information. We will update this story if either party responds.
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