The rise of autonomous vehicles will force a reconfiguration
of the $400 billion US auto-insurance industry, as accidents caused by human error decrease and costs are slashed, but questions about liability remain, according to Goldman Sachs.
“Autonomy has the potential to significantly reduce accid
ent frequency lon
ger-term and reshape the underlying claim cost distribution and legal liability for accidents,” Goldman Sachs analysts including Mark Delaney wrote in a June 9 note to clients.
The autonomous vehicle market is growing fast and projected to reach $7 billion in 2030, and the potential market
for autonomous virtual drivers for Class 8 trucks in the US will be around $5 billion by the same year, the analysts wrote. Tesla Inc.’s long-awaited robotaxi service is se
t to launch this week in its hometown of Austin, Texas, which has be
come a focal point for the growing robotaxi industry, with companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo already operating there.
Texas has relatively relaxed rules around autonomous driving, which is regulated much like any other t
ype of passenger vehicle operation. The driverless vehicles are req
uired to have cameras and be able to follow traffic laws and have to have insurance.
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Goldman analysts see insurance costs declining over 50% in the next 15 years, from about $0.50 in 2025, to around $0.2
3 per mile in 2040. Still, they see modest real growth in auto insurance premiums for at least the next 10 to 15 years.
Who’s Responsible?
The big question, however, is liability, which is at the heart of the US automobile insurance system. Currently, the person driving a vehicle is responsible for any in
juries or property damage caused by their driving. But that calculation becomes far trickier when the vehicle is being driven b
y a computer and the person is just a passenger. Who’s responsible, and who’s going to pay?
“The underlying protection needed for autonomous vehicles could shift the insurance pool towards product liability and cyber coverage – a different underlying risk profile than what auto insurers cover today. Therefore, incumbent auto insurers may need to invest in talent and capabilities to profitability underwrite a new set of underlying risk,” the analysts wrote.