A group of 11 insurers is working together to help put driverless cars on the roads by establishing how autonomous vehicles could be insured.
The group is led by the ABI and Thatcham Research, and will consider issues relating to autonomous driving in the UK, revolving around insurance and liability.
The consortium, known as the Automated Driving Insurer Group will inform ABI policy and work with the Government on shaping the future of driverless cars in the UK.
Issues indentified by the group so far, which is headed up by David Williams, head of underwriting at Axa, include:
– Who could be liable after an accident
– How to cope with vehicles at different levels of automation
– How data from vehicles will be used to improve safety and clarify liability
– Whether there needs to be any changes to existing traffic laws
“Automated driving is developing at a pace, and safety is paramount from both a driver’s perspective as well as an insurance risk,” said Peter Shaw, chief executive of Thatcham Research.
“Working with manufacturers and insurers we’ll be researching and testing systems to provide insight and evaluation of the possible risks and benefits at each step of the way towards a world where cars can drive themselves”.
