Imagine running out to do some errands, getting behind the wheel, and being able to read the paper, do your nails or watch television while en route. On one hand, this sounds a little crazy; unless you lend some credence to the fact that most accidents are caused by human error. Maybe, just maybe, taking people from behind the wheel is the single biggest safety initiative in history.

Some experts expect driverless cars to hit America's roadways by 2030, while test sites are cropping up much sooner. According to sources at NBC News, the University of Michigan, and state government officials aim to have a 32-acre driverless car test site running by September, just in time for a global conference on intelligent transportation systems.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder joined new GM CEO Mary Barra at the Detroit auto show and outlined plans for the Mobility Transformation Facility, a $6.5 million site that will offer a simulated urban environment with roads, intersections, building facades, traffic circles and a hill.

See related article: Risk on Autopilot?

Michigan also passed a new law letting companies test driverless but occupied cars on roads, and a street-level research project in Ann Arbor involving 3,000 people in networked vehicles. Given these new developments, it would appear that the future of driving may soon be upon us.

Driverless cars certainly aren't a new phenomenon; the concept was presented a generation ago when Steven King introduced “Christine”, a murderous, self-driving vintage car possessed by supernatural forces. Fiction aside, the concept originally emerged with anti-lock brakes that shouldered the load for braking in hazardous conditions, reducing driver error and leading to fewer accidents. Then came traction and stability control, adding sophistication to the concept of driverless vehicles.

Remote Control

Today we see any number of options to aid in safe driving, from bumper sensors to back up cameras. Even with all of these options, there is still room for human error. However, in a day and age when an app has seemingly been developed for everything under the sun, parking your car may have just become a bit easier. The Audi RS7 Sportback SUV actually has an automatic parking feature, controlled by an app as the driver stands at the curb. So apparently remote control cars aren't just for little kids anymore.

Could something this bizarre work in reality? Inventors throughout the course of history have been questioned, yet look at our society today. When one considers that Google's fleet of driverless cars has driven over 500,000 miles with not so much as a fender bender, this theory starts to gain some traction. This is especially true when considering that the average human has one accident for every few hundred thousand miles of driving. I suppose the bigger question is whether Amazon can deliver my new driverless car via drone.

Google's Chauffer technology uses LIDAR, a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light. It works like sonar, but is far more accurate, using 64 rotating laser beams taking more than a million measurements per second to form a 3D model in its computer brain that's accurate to the centimeter. Preloaded maps identify such things are traffic lights, crosswalks, telephone poles, and the LIDAR fills in the landscape with moving objects like people, and perhaps even speed traps.

At present, this technology runs about $75,000 and is out of the price range of the average consumer. Then again, so were big screen televisions and smart phones just a few short years ago.

So what does this mean from a claims handling perspective? Perhaps we should revisit the future of no-touch claims handling that we discussed in late 2013. It seems that no- touch driving may lead to just that. The reality is that cars may be safe, but there will still be myriad issues that will lead to claims. Increased costs of gadgetry will make cars more expensive to repair. They will also become a magnet for thieves. Will the insured want an OEM LIDAR system or a knock off from China?

Until cars can ultimately do the thinking for people, it is people who will ultimately be in charge. As a kid who used plenty of remote controlled gadgets, I can tell you that I had my share of crashes, no matter how “idiot” proof the technology seemed to be.

There will also be issues around existing laws on the road, such as states that say a driver “must have their hands on the wheel.” How will states with vicarious liability address litigation? Should the seller of such technology have known of the potential risks? There are a lot of questions that will need to have answers settled in coming years as more states permit driverless vehicles on the roadway. This will be especially interesting to follow with the commencement of consumer sales.

As one who loves technology, I find this concept to be fascinating. But I also like to be in control, so let's say I won't be at the head of the line when these cars are available. My preference is having my hands at 10 and 2, my eyes on the road with some great cruising tunes on. Perhaps this is a sign of getting old; then again, it could be me just holding out for flying cars.

Chris Tidball is a casualty claims consultant with Mitchell International and the author of multiple books, including Blocking & Tackling: The Playbook for the Winning Claims Organization. He has more than 25 years of industry experience. For more information, visit www.christidball.com or e-mail chris.tidball@mitchell.com.

Special Reports /

Look Ma, No Hands! The Future of Driverless Cars

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