Eliminating the grey areas of CAV insurance

The UK government is taking some positive steps forward with regard to addressing some of the great areas of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) liability and insurance.

That’s the view of the global law firm Clyde and Co. These include government support for a clear bright line test between human driver control and true self-driving, as revealed in its report, Connected and Automated Mobility 2025: realizing the benefits of self-driving vehicles. It is also known as CAM 2025.

In the report the UK government says it will engage in further consultations to consider how to manage the retention and sharing of data with insurers for claims investigations and for work with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau on a solution for uninsured self-driving. There is also a need to consult on how the government will engage more widely to comprehend how product liability law might need to be.

In an article for Reinsurance News, Alistair Kinley, Clyde & Co’s director of policy and government affairs, was quoted saying: “This report is good news. It demonstrates that the UK government has reached two key conclusions. First, the Law Commission’s guidance on how to build a new, safety-focused, legal framework for autonomous vehicles should be adopted. Second, handled effectively, the introduction of autonomous vehicles onto Britain’s roads by 2025 would be a major technological win for the country.”

More detail required

However, speaking to TU-Automotive, he says he doesn’t think the government’s report resolves anything. There is more detail to follow about what operators of automated driving systems (ADS) must submit and about how data is disclosed to insurers where appropriate for them to meet their obligations under AEVA 2018.

CAM 2025 is informed by the Law Commission and it put onus on operators to disclose data to insurers and specifies that automated vehicles are required to provide for the storage, retention and disclosure of data to get clearance to go onto the road as a part of the new pre-market authorization process. So, they are seen as being absolutely critical recommendations.

To read the complete article, visit TU-Automotive.