As of this year, 13 percent of U.S. consumers would trust riding in an autonomous vehicle, according to survey data from AAA. The thing is, the future of autonomous vehicles probably isn’t going to be decided by the tech companies or even the citizens; it’s gonna be decided by the actuaries and fine lawyers of the insurance industry. Realistically, things look pretty decent for autonomous cars. From a risk perspective, “Are they safe?” is the wrong question. Rather, “Are they as safe or safer than a comparable human driver?” is the right one, and either the cars are beating people’s expectations. Or perhaps more accurately, human drivers are worse than many people think. Human error is indeed the cause of 90 percent of accidents, and the more light-touch automated systems — stuff like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems help with lane assistance and automatic emergency braking — are already moving the needle and causing double-digit percentage reductions in insurance claims.
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