Ford has announced a hands free, almost self-driving car trial on UK roads. For insurers this is the acid test; will it work in all conditions, will driver interventions be fast enough in emergencies? Here’s some thoughts from Forbes Advisor;
Ford is the first car maker to be granted government approval to roll out a ‘hands-off’ driver assistance system in the UK.
The manufacturer will be able to introduce the use of its BlueCruise technology on its Mustang Mach-e model along 2,300 miles of road in England, Scotland and Wales. Using what’s called ‘hands-off eyes-on’ technology, drivers will be able to take their hands away from the steering wheel while the car autonomously controls things like speed and steering, but they must pay attention to the road and be ready to take back control if needed.
This is a major step in the journey towards fully autonomous vehicles, which will have a huge impact on road safety, accidents and could lead to massive reductions in the cost of car insurance.
Kevin Pratt, car insurance expert at Forbes Advisor, said: “With almost 9 in 10 accidents on UK roads caused by human error, it’s thought that up to 1,500 lives could be saved per year – and many thousands of injuries prevented – by the introduction of driverless vehicle technology.
“As a knock-on effect, fewer vehicle repairs and replacements could lead to reduced car insurance premiums.
“The introduction of driverless vehicles is a new frontier for the car insurance industry, though, especially when it comes to assigning fault in the event of a collision.
“Drivers will still need insurance, not least for theft, but also in case accidents occur which are either the fault of the automated driving technology or of the driver. The current suggestion is that drivers will not be personally responsible for the vehicle if it is driving itself in a ‘valid’ situation. But they will still need to be ready to take control of the vehicle if necessary.
“So if, for example, a driver fell asleep and their car crashed while they were meant to be in control, they would be liable. The same would apply if they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“If someone is hurt or suffers material loss following an accident with a driverless car, they would be able to make a claim against the insurer of the driverless car in the normal way. It would then be up to the insurer to pursue its own claim against the manufacturer of the vehicle if the accident could be deemed the fault of the autonomous driving technology.
“Bottom line – car insurance in the new era of self-driving cars should continue to protect drivers and other road users as it does at present and, hopefully, the costs will fall.”
For more information, visit: https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/car-insurance/2022/04/20/highway-code-adapts-to-driverless-vehicles-how-will-car-insurers-react/
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