Take Me Home, James… errr… Google?

I’ve been intrigued by telematics for a while now… but then again, who hasn’t? However, even with a level of engagement and understanding of the benefits, especially considering most insurers promise only positive impacts, I still don’t have a ‘pay-as-you-drive’ policy. To be fair, I haven’t had much opportunity, as there hasn’t been a significant push in my region. However, I am already even more intrigued by the advent of self-driving cars….

I foresee an interesting dilemma, though. When you consider that most people believe they are ‘better than average’ drivers (you’ve been in a room where this question is posed, no doubt, and the majority of the room raise their hands as self-identified ‘good drivers’), one would assume that telematics would be an attractive option – just think about finally being recognized, even rewarded, for being a competent behind the wheel…. In fact, a recent survey indicates that the majority of people believe they can drive better than a computer. Interesting results that I suspect correlate pretty closely with the reason human error is the cause of most accidents!

There are a couple of attractive benefits that I believe may be strong factors in the adoption of self-driving cars – more efficient traffic that results in less travel time and significantly less stress on the trip. Consider this: instead of the ‘lost’ time spent in the car, it can now become ‘found’ time – useful for catching up on work and social activities or getting much-needed rest! Gone would be the nagging tug of a buzz/ding/flashing phone display that must be left untouched as you drive (you don’t look, do you?)….

It may not be as far away as you think, as more and more ‘assisted driving’ technology makes its way into our cars – parking, braking, directing, responding… and soon driving outright. Maybe a good first step for everyone should be adding a telematics device. This would give us a baseline on our current performance behind the wheel (no doubt above average!) and then we’ll see where there is room for improvement that a computer could address. When it becomes available, I suspect the lineup for self-driving technology would be even longer….