Insuring driverless cars
Insuring driverless cars
Driverless cars are no longer only possible in a fictional futuristic world. They are here, and the technology is constantly improving to the point where we could be seeing them on our roads by the 2020’s. But who is responsible for paying the damages if the car drives itself? Insurance complications are hot topics surrounding this new automotive technology, as these cars morph from being only prototypes to becoming commercial products.
Where did it all start?
Google seem to be the pioneers of the driverless car technology after developing their Street View software. They have named their version of the driverless software the Google Chauffeur, which uses a combination of GPS, radar and 360° sensors. The plans for the driverless cars were unveiled in May 2014 and a fully functioning prototype was presented in December of the same year.
Although they are referred to as driverless, these vehicles will have a function that can allow human interaction to override the autopilot system. This can ensure that the human passenger can manoeuvre the car if needed. The passenger can override the system by stepping on the break or turning the steering wheel.
Vehicles that have been involved in testing include a Toyota Prius and Audi TT. Google hopes to have these cars available to the commercial market by 2020. But how safe and efficient are they?
Crashes
Though this software is meant to reduce collisions and be safer for passengers, Google admitted in July 2015 that up to that date, their driverless cars have experienced 14 minor collisions on public roads. These minor collisions were described by the company as a misunderstanding. But does the software really work?
In February of this year, a collision occurred between a Google driverless car and a bus. The collision happened due to sandbags situated on the road, which the software failed to recognise as innocuous. While trying to manoeuvre around the sandbags, which posed no threat to the car, the vehicle hit the bus.
In addition to the software not being able to differentiate between dangerous obstacles and those that are not, the software also has not been tested during extreme weather such as heavy rain and snow.
Another blip in efficiency was experienced by Tesla. Its autopilot sensor software failed due to a bright sky. The passenger was unfortunately killed after the driverless car hit a truck on a highway in America. But who was at fault for this malfunction?
Who is responsible when a collision occurs?
One of the complications with this new technology is to decide where the responsibility lies if a collision occurs. Driver errors can be attributed as the reason for 90% of road collisions. So what is the process when a collision occurs with driverless cars? Is it the “driver” at fault? Is it the car manufacturer? Software developers? Or the person responsible for servicing the car? The lines are blurred at this moment in time as the technology has not been perfected and the current road laws do not involve driverless vehicles.
The complications arise because the road laws which are in place at the moment do not reference driverless cars. Some road laws are still in place after their implementation during the horse and carriage days. Before insurance companies can provide adequate cover for accidents involving driverless cars, the road laws need to be up-to-date first.
Insurance company Adrian Flux is the first in the industry to create a policy for driverless cars. They have provided outlines which covers the damage if collisions are the result of the following; the failure to install vehicle software updates, satellite failure, and the failure to manually override software.
Is this goodbye to the insurance industry as we know it? According to the software developers, this software is meant to result in fewer accidents. Which in turn will reduce the price of premiums, right? But what if this software continues to show signs of malfunction? The success of this software remains to be seen but we can all agree that the concept is revolutionary.
Driverless cars are no longer only possible in a fictional futuristic world. They are here, and the technology is constantly improving to the point where we could be seeing them on our roads by the 2020’s. But who is responsible for paying the damages if the car drives itself? Insurance complications are hot topics surrounding this new automotive technology, as these cars morph from being only prototypes to becoming commercial products.
Where did it all start?
Google seem to be the pioneers of the driverless car technology after developing their Street View software. They have named their version of the driverless software the Google Chauffeur, which uses a combination of GPS, radar and 360° sensors. The plans for the driverless cars were unveiled in May 2014 and a fully functioning prototype was presented in December of the same year.
Although they are referred to as driverless, these vehicles will have a function that can allow human interaction to override the autopilot system. This can ensure that the human passenger can manoeuvre the car if needed. The passenger can override the system by stepping on the break or turning the steering wheel.
Vehicles that have been involved in testing include a Toyota Prius and Audi TT. Google hopes to have these cars available to the commercial market by 2020. But how safe and efficient are they?
Crashes
Though this software is meant to reduce collisions and be safer for passengers, Google admitted in July 2015 that up to that date, their driverless cars have experienced 14 minor collisions on public roads. These minor collisions were described by the company as a misunderstanding. But does the software really work?
In February of this year, a collision occurred between a Google driverless car and a bus. The collision happened due to sandbags situated on the road, which the software failed to recognise as innocuous. While trying to manoeuvre around the sandbags, which posed no threat to the car, the vehicle hit the bus.
In addition to the software not being able to differentiate between dangerous obstacles and those that are not, the software also has not been tested during extreme weather such as heavy rain and snow.
Another blip in efficiency was experienced by Tesla. Its autopilot sensor software failed due to a bright sky. The passenger was unfortunately killed after the driverless car hit a truck on a highway in America. But who was at fault for this malfunction?
Who is responsible when a collision occurs?
One of the complications with this new technology is to decide where the responsibility lies if a collision occurs. Driver errors can be attributed as the reason for 90% of road collisions. So what is the process when a collision occurs with driverless cars? Is it the “driver” at fault? Is it the car manufacturer? Software developers? Or the person responsible for servicing the car? The lines are blurred at this moment in time as the technology has not been perfected and the current road laws do not involve driverless vehicles.
The complications arise because the road laws which are in place at the moment do not reference driverless cars. Some road laws are still in place after their implementation during the horse and carriage days. Before insurance companies can provide adequate cover for accidents involving driverless cars, the road laws need to be up-to-date first.
Insurance company Adrian Flux is the first in the industry to create a policy for driverless cars. They have provided outlines which covers the damage if collisions are the result of the following; the failure to install vehicle software updates, satellite failure, and the failure to manually override software.
Is this goodbye to the insurance industry as we know it? According to the software developers, this software is meant to result in fewer accidents. Which in turn will reduce the price of premiums, right? But what if this software continues to show signs of malfunction? The success of this software remains to be seen but we can all agree that the concept is revolutionary.
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