Most people—based upon the publication of accidents involving driverless cars—erroneously believe that driverless cars (sometimes called autonomous vehicles) will increase accidents. In fact, the opposite is true. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration over 90 percent of auto accidents are caused by human error. So taking control of the car away from the driver, will reduce both the frequency and severity of accidents according to the Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute. The reduction in the number of accidents, however, will not happen overnight; rather the savings will take place as more cars with driverless, or other accident avoidance technology, replace cars without these safety features.
The auto industry is already working on safety technology. Nissan introduced safety technology in the 2013 Altima that warns drivers when their cars are close to another car. As a result of this innovation, bodily injury losses for people driving Nissan Altimas have dropped 40 percent and medical payments by 27 percent. In 2015, Tesla introduced its Autopilot mode. Nearly every manufacturer’s vehicles will soon be equipped with some form of accident avoidance technology. Like cars with seatbelts and airbags, it will shortly be impossible to buy a car without some form of accident avoidance technology. The inability to buy cars without some form of accident avoidance technology will overcome, over time, the fear of some drivers to use this safety technology. Lower insurance premiums may also motivate drivers to purchase cars with accident avoidance technology. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it is anticipated that there will be 3.5 million self-driving vehicles by 2025, and 4.5 million by 2030. Some studies suggest that nearly all vehicles will be self-driving by 2050. Some insurance company actuaries predict that auto accidents may drop by as much as 80 percent by 2040.
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