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Fleet Operations & Compliance

UK is most concerned in Europe about self-driving cars – Allianz

Alexandra Wyard said: "A lot of drivers remain concerned about what will happen if there is a crash when the car is in autonomous mode."

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A survey conducted by Allianz has found that people in the UK are the most concerned in Europe about self-driving cars.

Three-quarters (74%) of UK respondents worried that self-driving cars may not be safe in unpredictable situations, compared to 71% of those in France, 69% of Germans and 67% of respondents in Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the Czech Republic.

Self-driving technology is set to become more common in the UK next year, when Waymo brings its autonomous ride hailing service to London.

Allianz found that 73% of those in the UK were concerned about the reliability and robustness of self-driving technology, compared to around 65% of those across other countries.

Most Europeans shared concerns over the ability of autonomous vehicles to make ethical decisions in critical situations, at 71% in most countries including the UK.

More than 70% of those in the UK and mainland Europe said that automated driving technology is too new and untested.

Concerns over privacy and data security related to automated vehicles were reported by 62% of those in the UK, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

49% of German and 58% of French respondents shared these concerns.

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Many were optimistic about the technology, with 54% of UK respondents saying that self-driving cars would enable them to do other things during journeys.

45% said that it would help them be less stressed in traffic.

Three-in-five (62%) said that it could offer greater access to transportation for those with disabilities.

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Alexandra Wyard, director of technical underwriting at Allianz UK, said: “The UK has been undergoing an evolution in mobility for some time.

“We saw driverless trains on the Docklands Light Railway as early as the 1980s and have had driver assistance features in cars for nearly two decades – automatic breaking and parking assistance have been commonplace for the last 10 years.

“But for many, fully automated vehicles (AVs) still feel like something unfamiliar and scary.

“The Automated Vehicles Act came into force in 2024, providing a new legal landscape and enables self-driving vehicles to operate legally on UK roads from 2026.

“The Act positions the UK as a global leader in AV regulation.

“But we need to look quickly at the role of insurers to make sure owners of these vehicles have the support they need to confidently take this next step in the evolution of driving.

“A lot of drivers remain concerned about what will happen if there is a crash when the car is in autonomous mode.

“Timely access to data from vehicles is going to be a necessity to help law enforcement and insurers know what happened and who is liable.

“How this information will be safely shared still remains an outstanding question.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time, but the speed required to find answers to these questions must match the pace of the changes we are facing.”

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