We recently blogged about the UK governments commitment to automated vehicles, and the announcement to launch a review of the UK’s driving laws. With this in mind we were interested to read recent news about General Motors settling a legal action brought by a motorcyclist knocked over by one of its self-driving cars. Whilst final details of the settlement are still ongoing, reports state that both parties had a desire to reach a resolution to the legal action.
The accident itself happened in the US where they are more advanced down the path of automation with self-driving vehicles on the roads. The accident reportedly occurred when the car moved to change lanes but abandoned the move when traffic in it’s lane started to flow – it then collided with the motorbike as it moved in to the space that the car was moving out of.
The issue of fault and liability is obviously a significant one in the world of insurance and given the timeframes that the UK government have placed on legal and regulatory reviews it seems that it is a discussion that could take some time. Here at Anthony Jones we are staying close to our insurer partners to understand any developments in this area and will pass on news as it becomes available.
