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Not to mention the possible implications for the auto insurance industry. When all cars drive themselves, am I responsible for my car getting into a collision?

Not to mention the possible implications for the auto insurance industry. When all cars drive themselves, am I responsible for my car getting into a collision? If not, who pays for it? If so, how can that be justified given that I didn't actually do anything to cause the collision? It's interesting to think about, for sure.

ableal 14y ago
The auto insurance companies will make a killing for a year or two, issuing coverage that will not be cashed in. Then the auto insurance business will go nearly extinct - after all, their margin is a percentage of the compensation paid. If there are no accidents, there are no payouts, and no margin ...
- mratzloff 14y ago
  That's rather optimistic. There will still be collisions, and there will still be a role for insurance. At a minimum, there will be a transition period--but even afterward, there will still be cars that malfunction.
  - nuclear_eclipse 14y ago
    And there will still be government-enforced requirements for insurance, which will mean that rates will probably not drop too dramatically considering that it's pretty much a captive market.
mratzloff 14y ago
Really, it's not a particularly hard problem to solve. By letting the car drive itself, courts must necessarily conclude (for reasons of practicality if nothing else) that you are taking responsibility for that decision. Any collisions that result are handled by liability insurance. As time goes on and the robot car industry proves itself in practice, insurance companies will give big discounts to owners of robot cars, which provides a market incentive to buy one.
- laserDinosaur 14y ago
  But that seems like a almost too large of a move in liability. Would my Google computer freezing and crashing me into a pole not be the same as my brake pads cracking due to a manufacturing flaw? If a car company can be taken to court over a flaw in manufacturing, could Google not be liable for the same thing?
  - mratzloff 14y ago
    In those cases your liability coverage would cover it first and then you or the insurance company might pursue a case against the manufacturer. There will of course be lawsuits and class action suits, but by and large I predict liability will handle it.

ableal 14y ago

The auto insurance companies will make a killing for a year or two, issuing coverage that will not be cashed in. Then the auto insurance business will go nearly extinct - after all, their margin is a percentage of the compensation paid. If there are no accidents, there are no payouts, and no margin ...

mratzloff 14y ago
That's rather optimistic. There will still be collisions, and there will still be a role for insurance. At a minimum, there will be a transition period--but even afterward, there will still be cars that malfunction.
- nuclear_eclipse 14y ago
  And there will still be government-enforced requirements for insurance, which will mean that rates will probably not drop too dramatically considering that it's pretty much a captive market.

mratzloff 14y ago

Really, it's not a particularly hard problem to solve. By letting the car drive itself, courts must necessarily conclude (for reasons of practicality if nothing else) that you are taking responsibility for that decision. Any collisions that result are handled by liability insurance. As time goes on and the robot car industry proves itself in practice, insurance companies will give big discounts to owners of robot cars, which provides a market incentive to buy one.

laserDinosaur 14y ago
But that seems like a almost too large of a move in liability. Would my Google computer freezing and crashing me into a pole not be the same as my brake pads cracking due to a manufacturing flaw? If a car company can be taken to court over a flaw in manufacturing, could Google not be liable for the same thing?
- mratzloff 14y ago
  In those cases your liability coverage would cover it first and then you or the insurance company might pursue a case against the manufacturer. There will of course be lawsuits and class action suits, but by and large I predict liability will handle it.