A car pulls up next to you at a light. You look over, and there is no driver. NO DRIVER?
Google has already made significant strides with autonomous vehicles that can navigate typical traffic situations without driver intervention. An article in today’s Detroit Free Press touches on the insurance implications of such a move. Did you know that two states – California and Nevada are already enacting laws to accommodate autonomous vehicles?
Car enthusiasts – like me – should be concerned about co-existing on the roads with autonomous vehicles. How will they respond to unpredictable humans? Motor Trend recently addressed the topic, and seems to believe the move to autonomy is a done deal. It’s more a matter of how the vehicles will be integrated into other traffic. This will take a number 10-20 years, but it is coming.
So in an accident, how do you establish fault? Or how does the autonomous vehicle supply you its insurance contact info? What if the autonomous vehicle strikes a person? There are many questions that need to be addressed from an insurance perspective, as this article from the New York Times shows. I’m glad Google is having the foresight to work on the issues now.
