Autonomous vehicles have been talked about for decades – as far back as the nineteen-twenties, in fact. Since then motor companies along with boffins at universities all over the world have been trying to perfect the driverless vehicle.
In the UK, according to the Daily Mail, the first autonomous car took to our roads back in 2016. In fact, the UK government is keen to be part of an industry which could grow to over nine hundred billion pounds in the next decade.
But while the development of driverless cars still seems to be coming on at a pace, the progress of autonomous trucks seems to have stalled. Why?
Regulating Insurance Policies
One of the primary concerns over autonomous trucks is safety, and rightly so. In one year alone there are already, on average, over one hundred and fifty thousand casualties as a result of road traffic accidents and heading towards two thousand fatalities. The knock-on effect of these injuries has been a huge rise in the number of claims for injuries, which all affect insurance premiums. It can be difficult enough to determine one hundred and fifty thousand casualties as a result of road traffic accidents and heading towards two thousand fatalities. The knock-on effect of these injuries has been a huge rise in the number of claims for injuries, which all affect insurance premiums. It can be difficult enough to determine fault in these cases, but can you imagine how difficult it would be if there was no driver?
HGV Insurance is already much higher than that of a policy for personal, social and domestic use. Rightly so, as these drivers spend hours at a time in their cabs, the vehicles themselves can cause huge amounts of damage in an accident and they’re often carrying valuable stock. But how could you regulate HGV Insurance if there was no driver?
HGV Insurance website quote me today offers competitive quotes for drivers and businesses.
Not as Smart as You’d Think
While smart technology is as sophisticated as it’s ever been, we are yet to reach a point where any form of robotic device can react to unexpected circumstances. And let’s be honest, there are lots of unexpected things that happen on the road: a child runs out after a ball, a driver makes a wrong turn, some debris is left on the road. These are all events that a smart vehicle may not be able to deal with. So while we are getting closer yet to reach a point where any form of robotic device can react to unexpected circumstances. And let’s be honest, there are lots of unexpected things that happen on the road: a child runs out after a ball, a driver makes a wrong turn, some debris is left on the road. These are all events that a smart vehicle may not be able to deal with. So while we are getting closer and closer to autonomous vehicles becoming part of the norm, they’re not as smart as you’d expect just yet.
