Do Driverless Cars Spell Doom for the Insurance Industry?

Imagine a car accident: You pull out in front of another driver who clearly had the right of way, causing him to run into you. Typically, this would be an obvious case for the insurance company, but one thing is different: You’re driving an autonomous car and arguing that you are not at fault for the accident. What does your insurance carrier do? And how else can we expect the driverless car of the near-future to alter the insurance industry landscape? This scenario and many others like it have insurers and insureds alike wondering about the future of auto insurance and considering the emergence of autonomous cars, which, of course, is already a reality. Tesla has introduced its driverless vehicle to consumers, despite the accident that occurred with a Tesla in Florida early this year, when the car’s autopilot feature failed to prevent a passenger fatality. In fact, the development of autonomous vehicles is accelerating across the auto industry.