A British provider of specialist car insurance policies has created what it claims is the first ever insurance policy for driverless cars.
Insurer Adrian Flux says that its new policy provides cover for fully driverless vehicles, as well as cars which come with semi-autonomous features like self-parking functions or Tesla’s AutoPilot.
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Adrian Flux, said: “We understand this driverless policy to be the first of its kind in the UK – and possibly the world.
'The first of its kind in the world'
“More than half of new cars sold last year featured autonomous safety technology, such as self-parking or ABS, which effectively either take control or take decisions on behalf of the driver. And it’s only going to continue.”
Designed to better prepare motorists for the introduction of new technologies, the policy also protects against damage or loss incurred as a result of hackers taking remote command of the vehicle.
The advent of driverless cars is one of the most hotly-debated topics in the automotive world, with many questioning the impact that autonomous vehicles will have on insurers.
Driverless technology increasingly common
In the Queen’s Speech last month, Her Majesty even made a special point of introducing a Modern Transport Bill to facilitate insurance cover for accidents caused by autonomous technology.
Mr Bucke added: “As the UK continues to invest in driverless research in preparation for the growing market for autonomous vehicles in the near future, we wanted to help provide confidence and clarity around the ongoing debate.
“Driverless technology will become increasingly common in our cars over the next few years. We want this policy to reflect this transition and evolution.”
Cover for loss or damage
According to the new driverless car policy, Adrian Flux will provide cover for customers who suffer loss or damage due to any of the following scenarios:
- If updates or security patches for things like firewalls, operating systems, electronic mapping and journey planning systems haven’t been successfully installed in the vehicle within 24 hours of the owner being notified by the manufacturer or software provider, subject to an increased policy excess.
- If there are satellite failure/outages that affect the navigation systems, or if the manufacturer’s operating system or authorised software fails.
- Where there is loss or damage caused by failing, when able, to use manual override to avoid a collision or accident in the event of operating system, navigation system or mechanical failure.
- For loss or damage if your car gets hacked or an attempted hack results in loss or damage.
