The Department for Transport has published plans for new two-in-one insurance policies for automated vehicles, to cover both the motorist when they are driving and the car when it is in driverless mode.
By introducing dual cover instead of separate driverless-car insurance policies, the Government is seeking to avoid confusion over whether the victims of a collision need to claim against the cars or their drivers. It said the dual policies will give those involved in a collision with an automated vehicle “quick and easy access to compensation”.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Automated vehicles have the potential to make our roads safer and easier to use, as well as promising new mobility for those who cannot drive.
“However, we must ensure that the public is protected in the event of an incident, so we are introducing a framework to allow insurance for these new technologies.”
Edmund King, president of the AA insurance group, said: “There has been much debate about whether the driver, the manufacturer or indeed the highway authority would be liable in a driverless-vehicle collision.
“This announcement puts the onus on drivers to ensure that they are fully covered. The single-insurer model will ensure that the not-at-fault party will be properly compensated, in the way that motor insurance
works now.”
The introduction of self-driving cars has been hampered by legal hurdles in several countries, as insurers and legislators try to determine who would ultimately be responsible in the event of an accident.
Japanese car maker Nissan is expected to start testing driverless cars in London later this month, after initial tests on public roads in Milton Keynes late last year.