Why the Insurance Industry will survive with Self-Driving Cars
Self-driving cars are coming, and in many ways, they’re already here. Many people are asking: will there still be auto insurance after self-driving cars become mainstream? Sure, you can’t go a car dealership and buy a fully autonomous car just yet, but many vehicles already feature the same technology that will one day allow self-driving cars to take the pressure off of the driver. These technologies are often presented as “collision avoidance” technology, or even “assisted cruise control”, but it’s plain to see: our cars are driving themselves already, and soon, they might be able to assume complete control.
If all goes well and technology continues to advance at this rate, self-driving cars will have a massive impact on the infrastructures of the world. There is, however, a fairly widespread misconception about self-driving cars: that they can’t get into car accidents. While self-driving cars are statistically less likely to be directly responsible for a collision, the fact remains that not everyone will have a self-driving car, and not all of those self-driving cars will be in autonomous mode all of the time.
Many have said that self-driving cars present a substantial threat to the automotive insurance industry, but that isn’t the case. You’ll find that, even in a world where self-driving cars are ubiquitous, there are still countless opportunities for human influence to cause damage to someone else’s property on the road. And in that situation, you’ll want liability insurance.
Audi has spoken on the future of self-driving cars, and their plan going forward isn’t to allow the vehicle’s computer to assume complete control at all. Self-driving Audis of the future will likely feature more advanced versions of the self-driving assistance technologies found in current vehicles. If vehicles like this see more success than completely autonomous vehicles, a scenario made more likely by high prices and creeping legislation, there will still be moments of human negligence.
Why? Because these technologies allow the driver to let their guard down, placing complete confidence in the vehicle’s autonomous capabilities. The capabilities of autonomous systems are impressive, but they require a certain level of human involvement from touching the steering wheel periodically to engaging the systems themselves. Self-driving systems could even encourage overly tired or intoxicated drivers to take a chance behind the wheel under the assumption that the self-driving features will make up for their impairment.
It’s inevitable that self-driving cars will soon break into the mainstream, but car insurance will always provide essential peace of mind and financial assistance when things are at their worst. A self-driving car would likely be a massive investment in and of itself, so protect that investment with a personalized California auto insurance policy from Cost U Less Direct. Call or click today for more information on our policies, and contact us for more information on choosing a policy that fits your lifestyle, budget, and needs. With a bright future of technological advancements coming to drivers everywhere, there’s no better time to protect that future.
