Imagine you’re having one of those days: You know, the kind where you missed your morning alarm and are now rushing around to find an outfit that is somewhat presentable and sort of matches. You grab a quick bite to eat and fly out the door to your car. You’re still half-asleep, but that’s not a problem. Why? Because you are now the owner of a Google Robot Car. It will drive itself!
That’s right. Google is currently working on a vehicle that actually drives itself from Point A to Point B with passengers inside. Crazy, isn’t it? Even though we live in a world that is incredibly tech savvy, the idea of cars that drive themselves just seem a little too far-fetched to actually be true.
Yet it is.
And this brings up an interesting discussion topic: Will Google’s robot cars eliminate the need for insurance?
On the one side, it seems that the answer is a resounding “Yes!” After all, without humans (who are imperfect by nature) operating this machinery, it seems likely that the reduction of accidents on the road is quite certain. In fact, this seems to be Google’s primary goal in the robotic vehicle endeavor.
In a recent news report on these cars, the reporter cites that “Google touts safety as their motivation” and that “this technology could one day cut traffic deaths in half.”
And in a recent robotics conference, Chris Urmson of Google’s self-driving car program, stated that these robotic cars are much better at accelerating and decelerating speed than humans (as humans tend to do it rather sharply at times) as well as keeping a safer distance between vehicles.
The vehicles are equipped with strong laser beams that detect any motion around them. They are aware of sudden pedestrians in the vehicle’s path. They pick up on any car that becomes a threat to the vehicle. They keep a vehicle safely inside traffic lines. They really do it all.
It would seem that insurance really might not be needed if this equipment becomes available commercially.
However, many are likely skeptical about this new species of vehicle. Can so much “power” really be safe in the hands of machines? Especially when they would be transporting thousands of individuals along city streets, highways, and freeways each and every day? Through years of experience, we know that machines and robots have glitches. They are made by humans, which makes them susceptible to imperfections. It’s likely that several accidents could occur simply because they may shut down, break down, or malfunction unexpectedly. This would be especially true during the first several years of having these cars on the roads. The possible increase in accidents would result in an even greater need for CTP insurance, which gives coverage to a vehicle owner who potentially harms another in an auto accident. And for this reason, insurance may be needed more than ever before. Is this heightened technology worth the risks involved?
Who knows what the future will hold in regards to Google Robot Cars and insurance? It will certainly be interesting to watch this type of vehicle develop and to see where it leads us.
