Discount on auto insurance for autonomous cars

Cars that drive themselves, without the driver's intervention, despite not yet being sold on a large scale, apparently this should happen soon.

What seemed like something from future films makes us realize that this reality is very close. Riding in self-driving cars will soon be a reality.

In fact, there are already several vehicles being tested that have proven this theory. Don't be alarmed if you see a car on the street without a driver.

Semi-autonomous cars, by the way, are already present in greater numbers on the streets. They are able to brake when they detect risky situations and maintain a safe distance from the car in front.

However, there are already vehicles being tested on the streets of some countries, mainly in the United States.

Tesla already uses Autopilot, which allows the car to drive alone, however, for safety, the driver needs to take the wheel from time to time.

Although this model has a steering wheel and pedals, Google tests vehicles that come without this type of equipment, meaning the driver would have no autonomy over the car and would not be able to make interventions.

A survey carried out by the North American Traffic and Vehicle Safety Agency (NHTSA) showed that this Tesla vehicle is 40% less likely to be involved in accidents. Even after an accident occurs with this vehicle model, it continues to be considered safe and it is worth highlighting that it is still in the testing phase.

Ford is another automaker that is preparing to launch a 100% autonomous vehicle, and promises to do so by 2021.

Image: Getty

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Autonomous car insurance

Based on studies already carried out, some insurers in the United States are reviewing their policies.

Based on studies presented by NHTSA, insurers discovered that the risks involving this type of vehicle are lower. Because of this, values ​​began to drop.

One of the insurers granted a 40% discount on the initially proposed price for Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot. Anyone who indicates that they are using this function receives a reduction in the value of the policy.

However, the discount is not just limited to this single resource. Cars that have semi-autonomous features are also benefiting. As the risk of accidents decreases and the numbers have been satisfactory, car insurance has become cheaper.

The forecast is that the more this technology becomes more popular, the discounts will become even greater.

In England, another insurance company also took advantage of the opportunity and decided to invest in this type of policy. Autonomous and semi-autonomous cars can also benefit from the value of the policies.

Insurance aims to protect the driver from all common problems faced when owning a vehicle, such as theft, theft, collision, among others.

However, the difference lies in the coverage in relation to the autonomous system. When this fails, the insured can count on the insurance company's support. This coverage extends even when the error is caused by incorrect use of the manual control.

A difference is the coverage against hackers. If the car's system is hacked and modified in any way, it will be covered.

If for some time the car goes offline, losing its connections, it will also be covered by insurance.

Despite these differences, the British insurer bets in the same way as the American one. Over time, these cars will become increasingly safer and people will start using them on a large scale. This will be a great attraction for customers and insurers will be able to offer increasingly competitive prices, as risks will decrease.

The big question, still under discussion, is who is responsible for vehicle failures, the manufacturers or the drivers?