Collision Demonstrates Tesla Model S Safety Features
Posted on Feb 3, 2017
A recent accident involved a Tesla Model S being rear-ended by a tractor trailer on the highway. The driver reported no injuries, though the the rear of the Tesla and the front of the tractor trailer were heavily damaged.
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Uber Signs Deal With German Automaker Daimler AG
Posted on Feb 2, 2017
Uber Technologies Inc. has partnered with Germany’s Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the first automaker to sign a deal with Uber, in its attempt to build a fleet of autonomous vehicles. Although Uber has devoted many resources to developing autonomous vehicles, deals with auto makers are “crucial” to the company because it has no experience in manufacturing. This deal, in which Daimler will incorporate its autonomous vehicles into Uber’s fleet, comes nearly a year after reports that Uber had placed a long-term order with Daimler for approximately 100,000 S-Class sedans....
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NADA Releases Automotive Privacy Guide
Posted on Feb 2, 2017
The National Auto Dealers Association recently release a guide regarding consumer privacy and data collection in modern cars. The guide, titled “Personal Data In Your Car,” covers the different ways data from vehicle operators is collected, used, and shared. Data has been collected for years through Event Data Recorders and On-Board Diagnostic ports, but the report identifies multiple new technologies that track additional data, such as location information, external information, in-cabin information, user recognition, app usage, and more. Regarding this data, most automakers have committed...
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New Book Recommends Regulators take a Proactive Approach to Driverless Cars
Posted on Jan 24, 2017
In their new book, Driverless: Intelligent Cars and the Road Ahead, Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman state that government must expend considerable resources in crafting meaningful regulation: A driverless license is a good start, but a significant amount more research and exploration of regulatory oversight is needed. Ideally, the highest levels of the government should adopt a proactive, rather than reactive, approach. For example, legal experts need to examine and possibly revamp liability laws to clarify who, exactly, is at fault in a driverless accident. Car insurance will need to be...
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NHTSA finds no vehicle defects in Tesla accident investigation
Posted on Jan 23, 2017
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found no evidence of design or performance defects in its investigation of a May 2016 fatal accident involving a Tesla. The accident occurred near Williston, Florida when a driver operating his Model S in Autopilot collided with a trailer truck and was killed. In its report, NHTSA found that the trailer truck was visible to the driver at least seven seconds before the collision; during that time, the driver failed to take any action to prevent the accident, such as braking, steering, or attempting to avoid the truck. The U.S....
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How Technology May Affect Insurance in 2017
Posted on Jan 11, 2017
Marsh has released a new report on trends anticipated in the United States casualty insurance marketplace in 2017. It noted that the Internet of Things, the sharing economy, and autonomous vehicles will all begin to make major changes to the insurance business in the coming year. In particular, telematics that track vehicle performance and driver behavior may enable insurers to offer usage-based insurance. Insurers will also need to develop solutions for the sharing economy, on-demand services companies, and driverless cars. And the interconnectedness of the world will blur the boundaries...
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Alphabet Reduces Cost for Self-Driving Sensor
Posted on Jan 11, 2017
Waymo, the self-driving vehicle unit of Alphabet, Inc., has announced that it reached a milestone of building all of its self-driving hardware in-house. The company noted that it was able to cut the cost of a key component by 90% from its cost in 2009. The component uses “LiDAR” (similar to radar, but with light instead of radio waves) to detect a vehicle’s surroundings. Waymo debuted the new sensor on an autonomous Chrysler minivan at the Detroit Auto Show. The cost reduction in the sensor may be a step towards mass production of autonomous vehicles.
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State Transit Authorities Develop “Smart Roads”
Posted on Jan 3, 2017
A handful of states are responding to the smart car surge by developing and installing “smart roads”—technology-aided roads using fiber optics, cameras, and signaling devices to communicate with drivers, autonomous vehicles, and even transit authorities. For example, Virginia has installed “smart road” devices on light poles and bridges on certain roads, which watch the highway, communicate with drivers, and message government road-maintenance vehicles regarding conditions. Although there are significant potential benefits, from fewer accidents to fuel savings, the cost to the states is...
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Tennessee Introducing Auto Insurance Verification Program
Posted on Dec 29, 2016
Tennessee will soon be rolling out an auto insurance verification system to promote compliance with a state law aimed at reducing the number of uninsured drivers. All insurance carriers registered to write personal auto liability policies in Tennessee must register with the Department of Revenue and provide required policy information. The new insurance verification system will check the policies provided by the insurers against all currently registered VINs in Tennessee. Instead of checking for insurance coverage at the time of registration renewal, the system will verify insurance...
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Mandatory Vehicle to Vehicle Communication Proposed
Posted on Dec 13, 2016
The US Department of Transportation has issued a proposed rule requiring all new cars and light trucks to be equipped with short-range vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. These systems would send and receive information about speed, location, braking, and other data. Regulators expect that this technology would work with existing crash avoidance technology, such as automatic emergency braking, to help prevent traffic collisions. The rule also contains privacy and data security requirements applicable to the vehicle data transmissions. All new vehicles would be required to have this...
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A New Regulator in Town?
Posted on Dec 9, 2016
Some in the automotive industry have expressed enthusiasm for the president-elect’s proposed U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao. Chao has in the past taken a free-market approach to industry and has pushed for less federal regulation. For companies working on driverless cars and other new technologies, that approach is expected to promote innovation. The current administration’s federal policy relating to automated vehicles sought to balance safety and innovation, and companies hope that balance will continue.
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Auto Companies Should Take Note of Recent DTSA Case Law
Posted on Dec 8, 2016
Recent case law under the newly enacted Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) of 2016 emphasizes the importance of the act to automotive companies interested in protecting their trade secrets. Although case law is developing, the few recent decisions under the DTSA highlight the broad reach of the law and a willingness of courts to provide quick relief. In their article for Law360, Sutherland Partner Jason McCarter, Associate Robert Kohse and Law Clerk Steffan Finnegan provide a brief overview of leading case law in 2016 involving DTSA litigation.
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Pricing Car Insurance Based on Occupations
Posted on Nov 21, 2016
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has recently requested information from some insurers about how they relate a customer’s education and occupation to driving, risk, and auto insurance pricing. Actuaries may use information about occupations to price data, and people with jobs that are associated with higher risk may pay more for their insurance. The DFS is considering whether to prohibit the use of occupation and education in pricing auto insurance. Some states, like Massachusetts, already prohibit the use of those factors to set insurance premiums, and other states limit...
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Autonomous Vehicles on the Road in Michigan
Posted on Nov 16, 2016
The Michigan legislature recently passed a series of laws that would allow companies to test autonomous vehicles on the roads in Michigan. The legislation now awaits the governor’s signature. As previously noted, the new laws would allow the public to buy and use fully driverless cars when they become available. One of the laws allows a vehicle to be operated without a human driver and provides that an automated system would be considered the vehicle’s operator under the traffic laws.
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