Auto insurers are starting to offer discounts for drivers who enable the autonomous options on their vehicles. The latest is Britain's largest motor insurer, Direct Line. According to Reuters it is now offering a 5 percent discount for turning on those features in a Tesla.

Direct Line is the second insurer worldwide to offer a discount for self-driving options, and the first mainstream one to do so. (The very first, Root, is a startup insurer available in nine states). Direct Line's small discount is meant to help it and the rest of the insurance industry learn about self-driving habits. “At present the driver is firmly in charge so it’s just like insuring other cars, but it does offer Direct Line a great opportunity to learn and prepare for the future,” says Dan Freedman, Head of Motor Development at Direct Line to Reuters.

Insurance companies are increasingly interested in offering incentives to get people using technology that would make us healthier and safer. Most notably, people enrolled with a UnitedHealthcare insurance program called Motion can earn up to $1,500 for reaching daily fitness goals measured by a Fitbit. In the case of cars, the bottom-line play is clear. One of the big arguments for autonomous vehicles is that machines will make far fewer driving mistakes than humans do, resulting in many fewer accidents and highway death—and thus, insurance claims.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found some statistical backup for that case. At the beginning of this year, the NHTSA published a study of Teslas which showed that the "vehicles crash rate dropped by almost 40 percent after Autosteer installation." (Autostreer focuses solely on driving and is part of a suite of features known as Autopilot, which also includes robotic parking and robotic lane changing.)



Car insurance rates are skyrocketing in England, having risen 11 percent in the past year alone. Although the precise number of Teslas on the road in the UK is unknown (the California-based company declined to share numbers), it's safe to assume that those drivers will appreciate any break they can get.

Source: Reuters via Electrek

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