Uhhh...about self-driving cars.

"Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)" (6speedhaven)
11/06/2013 at 17:15 • Filed to: None

Why does a self-driving car need car insurance?

Would it also maybe benefit more people to have self-driven public transportation that would potentially make purchasing your own self-driven car less ideal?

And could self-driven cars ever work in overcrowded cities such as New York? idk where I'm going with this question.

Teach me, oh knowledgeable gurus of the Jalopnik, so that I may learn from my naive ways.

DISCUSSION (22)

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:17

Well if 90% of people have a self driving car, that means 10% would not. Those 10% will be driving like maniacs and smashing into self driving cars. Which means they will need to make a claim.

JustWaitingForAMate > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:22

I'd like to know what happens we have a 'something in the silicon' situation and a self driving car mows down a herd of pedestrians. Who gets sued? Who gets blamed? Who gets charged? Have laws actually progressed to cover these situations yet?

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:22

Most states have no-fault insurance, so regardless of who is at fault your own insurance covers the wreck. Just imagine one of those crazy 20 car pileups in fog and shit, a self driving car won't save you from that and you'll still want insurance.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
11/06/2013 at 17:22

So what if everybody is rolling around in a self-driven car? Not that this will ever happen, but imagine we now live in a society where only self-driven cars are legally allowed on the street. What then?

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
11/06/2013 at 17:24

Ah, but in fog, a self-driving car will likely never be in a pile up wreck, because it'll have one of those sensors/systems that detects other hunks of self-driven metal around it.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:25

Then we live in a place where insurance is then obsolete. That would be the only plus I can see.

Casper > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:27

Insurance isn't just for collisions you cause. It's also for dealing with damage caused by other people and things that do not carry their own insurance.

For Sweden > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:28

Because no mechanism is perfect.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > JustWaitingForAMate
11/06/2013 at 17:29

That's so true. In the case that the...um...entity at fault is undetermined, the fault would probably be laid equally on the manufacturer and the purchaser of the vehicle. (although imagine the public outrage on that one) I imagine there's got to be a fail-safe for when a self-driven car decides to develop emotions and kill itself along with its owner.

How much power can self-driven vehicles even be allowed to have? that would be an important factor in keeping it from letting it go on a wild rampage.

Casper > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
11/06/2013 at 17:30

Technically no-fault would be more correctly described as always at fault. It goes on your record either way as a claim. It's bullshit.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:32

But in those type of pileups even if you stop in time you get smashed from behind. Thats how they happen, people behind can't see the pileup until it's too late to stop. Unless everyone has a self driving car this won't work.

JustWaitingForAMate > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:33

How can you blame the purchaser though? What if my new SDC decides it needs to turn left sharply into oncoming traffic RIGHT NOW! There isn't much a human can do to react fast enough.

Cajun Ginger > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:33

But will it sense deer?

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > JustWaitingForAMate
11/06/2013 at 17:36

I imagine depending on what path self-driving cars go down, in certain circumstances there might be reason to lay partial blame on the person who owns the car. I can't imagine myself what the hell would have to happen for the purchaser to be laid with some or all of the blame, but it's likely in today's crazy ass world...

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
11/06/2013 at 17:38

Yep, I accept that it won't work. I just wanted to explore a different path.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Cajun Ginger
11/06/2013 at 17:38

Only one way to find out...

Cajun Ginger > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:40

I know! Chip all the deer!

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Cajun Ginger
11/06/2013 at 17:42

+4 hp

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 17:58

I'm under the impression that all self driving cars still have a manual steering wheel and brake pedal, and ultimately it's up to the operator of the vehicle to make sure they don't crash or run over a pedestrian.

Like how cruise control that lets you speed going down hill doesn't mean the operator isn't liable for the speeding ticket.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/06/2013 at 18:02

You probably can't even use the steering wheel if the it's held in a death grip by the computer.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 18:17

you can. At least you can on all of the large corporate-sponsored self driving cars currently in development, and the laws in the states where they are legal require a manual over-ride.

say the computer freezes, all fail-safes don't work and it doesn't allow you to steer or brake?

Your insurance will probably cover you, if not the manufacturer. provided you haven't modified your vehicle or skipped mandatory servicing, same deal as if your brakes failed in a car without computer assistance.

MountainCommand > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
11/06/2013 at 18:38

Why do you buy insurance on your home? Its not like its gonna crash or lose control at over 80mph.

fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, theft.....