A new CarInsurance.com survey has found that one in five Americans would never take the wheel again if a self-driving, or autonomous, car were available.
While 20 percent of the 2,000 licensed drivers surveyed said they would gladly turn over the keys, interest in autonomous vehicles soared when the prospect of dramatically reduced insurance costs was introduced. More than a third of those surveyed said an 80 percent discount on car insurance rates would make purchase of an autonomous vehicle “very likely,” and 90 percent of drivers said they would at least consider the idea.
Cars that park themselves, navigate stop-and-go-traffic, or avert an impending collision are already on U.S. roads today. Nissan has promised to deliver a fully autonomous vehicle – one that allows a computer to assume control under the right conditions – to showrooms by 2020. A fully automated vehicle that does not need a human operator could someday follow.
“Our survey shows cheaper insurance will greatly influence consumer acceptance,” said CarInsurance.com managing editor Des Toups. “Some of the liability of operating a car will doubtless be assumed by the manufacturer,” Mr. Toups said. “But a lot of the decrease in rates could come simply because there would be many fewer accidents.”
Autonomous technology itself will not garner car insurance discounts just yet. “High-tech driver assist systems really haven't started to receive discounts,” said Penny Gusner, consumer analyst with CarInsurance.com. “The insurance companies don't have the statistics yet to show that they are reducing claims. When statistics do show a reduction in injury and collision claims, specific insurance discounts will follow.”
But technologies such as driver assist can still help lower a premium bill, Ms. Gusner said, by doing exactly what they are designed to do – keep drivers out of accidents. According to Ms. Gusner, a good driver discount could be 20 percent or more. A claims-free discount also might apply.
Trust will be a big hurdle, the survey results showed:
- 64 percent said computers were not capable of the same quality of decision-making that human drivers exhibit.
- 75 percent of respondents said they could drive a car better than a computer could.
- 75 percent said they would not trust a driverless car to take their children to school.
The survey also asked consumers which companies they would trust most to deliver driverless-car technology.
- Communications company such as Sprint or Verizon: one percent
- Consumer products company such as Apple or Samsung: 12 percent
- Software company such as Google or Microsoft: 15 percent
- Start-up automaker such as Tesla: 18 percent
- Traditional automaker such as Honda, Ford, or Toyota: 54 percent
Asked what they would do with their additional free time, drivers responded:
- Text/talk with friends: 26 percent
- Other: 21 percent
- Read: 21 percent
- Sleep: 10 percent
- Watch movies: Eight percent
- Play games: Seven percent
- Work: Seven percent
Learn more: www.carinsurance.com; http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/autonomous-cars-ready.aspx.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].