UK insurance chief says babies born today may never need to learn to drive

Axa UK’s chief executive, Amanda Blanc, has predicted that "babies born today may never have to take a driving test".

Self-driving technology is moving so fast that autonomous cars could be on the roads within 15 years, she told the Daily Telegraph, and it is important that the insurance industry is prepared for their arrival, when vehicles could be controlled by a computer. She commented that the insurance industry has a key role to play in building a driverless future and the insurance risks involved, adding that "driverless cars will not be able to take to the roads [without that]”.

Blanc warned that the insurance sector will have to adapt, although insurance rates may fall in line with lower accident rates. She noted that a car in auto-pilot is expected to make roads "much safer and increase mobility for vulnerable members of society," with those unable to get car insurance now likely to be able to in future.

Axa is involved in several Government-backed projects which aim to produce a blueprint for the legal implications of driverless cars, while 4236 Direct Line is developing a trial into self-driving technology with FiveAI, a Cambridge-based artificial intelligence firm.