Affordable Care Act Is Costing 29% Less Than Projected

[Tonitrus]

It still blaffes me that the goverment can force the american people to buy something.

Like automobile insurance. 

Pretty mean forcing people without cars to get automobile insurance.

People without any income are not forced to pay for health insurance either.   

[garbon]

Ok?

[Tonitrus]

Ok.

[garbon]

Asoka?

[Ideologue]

I also would like single-payer car insurance, home insurance, and burial insurance.

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

[garbon]

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

[Razgovory]

It still blaffes me that the goverment can force the american people to buy something.

You are easily baffled.  This sort of thing has existed for a long time.

[DGuller]

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

Self-driving cars?

[garbon]

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

Self-driving cars?

Do we think that in ten years, we'll have gotten rid of insurance though? Won't insurance still really be necessary until all cars on the road are self-driving?

[DGuller]

Do we think that in ten years, we'll have gotten rid of insurance though? Won't insurance still really be necessary until all cars on the road are self-driving?

Yeah, it's not going to be so quick, it'll take a couple of decades.  And many in the insurance industry don't think that self-driving cars will cut into their revenue (they're delusional).

[viper37]

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

You get insurance for your house, yet it is not moving.  Why wouldn't you need car insurance for a self driving car?
I can be stolen, it can be vandalized, you can have an accident even if it's self driving (not all accidents are caused by reckless driver behaviour), you can be hit by something (a block of concrete falling from an overpass), etc, etc,

Also, if the system ever goes wrong and you hit something/someone, who's taking care of the indemnity if you are uninsured.

[garbon]

Of course, car insurance will become a moot point in like ten years.

You get insurance for your house, yet it is not moving.  Why wouldn't you need car insurance for a self driving car?

Well it seems like it would fundamentally alter what the insurance is for. As it stands car insurance covers both damage that might happen to your car but also damage that you as the operator might do to others. Depending on how self-driving cars are ultimately implemented I could see the latter becoming less and less of a concern.

[Barrister]

Yes.  Something like 99% of accidents are caused by human error.  If you eliminate that error I imagine it would profoundly change the nature of automobile insurance.

It's been occasionally discussed around here - so much of our trial time is taken up with driving offences.  Imagine how policing and criminal justice system would be changed if you suddenly have no more human drivers...

[viper37]

Well it seems like it would fundamentally alter what the insurance is for. As it stands car insurance covers both damage that might happen to your car but also damage that you as the operator might do to others. Depending on how self-driving cars are ultimately implemented I could see the latter becoming less and less of a concern.

As I said, accidents aren't only cause by reckless driver behavior.  There was a huge accident near where I live on the highway.  Withint 10 minutes, cars where caught in heavy blizzard and roads became icy.  Heavy trucks were unable to effectively slow down in time, one of them hit a car wich had slowed down, then other trucks hit the accident, then other cars.

A self driving car would have immediatly slowed down, just as the drivers did.  Yet, there was an accident.  And the need for insurance.

[viper37]

Yes.  Something like 99% of accidents are caused by human error.  If you eliminate that error I imagine it would profoundly change the nature of automobile insurance.

It's been occasionally discussed around here - so much of our trial time is taken up with driving offences.  Imagine how policing and criminal justice system would be changed if you suddenly have no more human drivers...

You will sue car manufacturers for gross negligence because the computer crashed, or because inadequate programming caused an accident, due to slower time than a human driver to adjust to rapidly changing weather conditions.