UK wants mandatory insurance for self-driving cars

Autonomous driving is an exciting prospect, but it’s not without its problems and ethical dilemmas. Recently, two Teslas were involved in accidents (two separate incidents), and in one of them the driver was killed.

Such exciting technology also begs the question: who’s to blame when two autonomous vehicles collide, and what happens if someone gets killed in the process? The UK, which has stated on multiple occasions that it wants to be the global leader in autonomous vehicles, is tackling the issue from the insurance perspective.

The UK government has launched a new consultation, under which autonomous cars could be insured. The Department for Transport also confirmed that the Highway Code, as well as a number of other regulations, would be redrawn to make room for such vehicles.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin tells ITPro: "Driverless car technology will revolutionize the way we travel and deliver better journeys. Britain is leading the way but I want everyone to have the chance to have a say on how we embrace and use these technologies. Our roads are already some of the safest in the world and increasing[ly] advanced driver assist and driverless technologies have the potential to help cut the number of accidents further".

These changes would later be incorporated in what will become known as the Modern Transport Bill, which would cover product liabilities for automated vehicles. In case of an accident, insurers would pay the victims, and then reclaim any expenses from the manufacturer.

Autonomous vehicles are not expected on UK roads before mid-2020s.

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