Taking a nap while still driving? While currently a sign of negligence and almost certain accidents, with a self-driving car catching some shut-key while in the driver’s seat could be possible. The more interesting part is that self-operating cars are much closer to becoming a reality than most people realize. With Google and other companies working to change the car industry and over 10 million self-driving cars expected to be on the road before 2020, it could be a perfect time to do a little research before you purchase your next vehicle.
Current Technology: Google
Even though the self-driving car is not a part of everyday life, there are a few out there testing on the roads. Currently Google has a self-driving car on its campus. The self-driving car project was first started back in 2009. The initial testing started with the Toyota Prius and drive mostly on Californian freeways. Later on in 2012 Google moved on to a bigger model, using the Lexus RX450h Google accomplished over 300,000 miles of freeway driving. The next major shift was taking the self-driving car on city streets, which was a more complex process than driving on freeways. In 2014, Google introduced their very on prototype of a self-driving car. The car was built from bottom up and it was the first time Google used their own technology on their own product. Using innovative technology, Google layers the car with sensors and lasers to analyze the road ahead and make precise driving decisions.
Other Companies Getting into Self-Driving Cars
Other than Google, some other major car companies have been making advances in self-driving car department. Companies like Tesla, Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz have all made conscious steps to change the road as we currently see it. Companies like Tesla have introduced an adaptive auto pilot which actually allows the car to understand your driving style and is able to execute the same style when placed in auto pilot.
Advantages of Driverless Cars
The biggest advantage of driverless cars is the safety. According to the International Organization for Road Accident Prevention, human error accounts for 90% of all driving accidents. Being able to cut out the human elements could dramatically reduce the chances of accidents and injuries. In the years that Google car has been out there has only been five accidents in over 200,000 miles. All five of these accidents were caused by someone else hitting the car, none of the accidents were due to the actual self-driving vehicle. Another advantage of a driverless car is that more people will have the ability to get around: people who are blind or suffer from a disability no longer have to be immobile.
Insurance on Driverless Cars
Another advantage of looking into a driverless cars is that the insurance will be substantially lower. As stated by Property Casualty 360, since there is no risk, there would not be any premium. Some people could have their insurance as low as 250 dollars a year. This is a huge step since most people spend more than a couple of hundreds of dollar on insurance yearly. It’s important to still look into insuring your vehicle because accidents such as weather, vandalization and robbery still happen. Although, this is not as expensive as a full car insurance plan.
The self-driving car might not be out today but it is definitely on the horizon. With more and more new technology coming out every day it’s impossible to predict what the future has in stock for us. While there are cars, there will be accidents, both on and off the road. Contact the experts at TJ Woods’s Insurance about automobile insurance and see how you can keep yourself protected in this new era of automobiles.
