01625 562 389 Menu

with a plethora of new technologies emerging in recent years and still more set to hit our roads in the foreseeable future.


Of course new vehicle technologies can have a big impact on insuring those vehicles, and especially on road risks insurance for those involved in transporting them for business purposes.


But with everything from new engine types to self-steering cars all seeming to reach maturity at once, 2017 could see even more than them usual amount of upheaval for the industry.


Hybrids and zero emission engines


Eco-friendly developments have been one of the main areas of advance in vehicle design for many years now, but 2017 could prove to be the tipping point for the creation of nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.


EVs link in nicely with other environmentally aware objectives, such as the transition towards renewable power generation, and there are clear benefits to being able to just plug in, rather than needing a continual supply of petrol or diesel to be mined, refined and delivered to forecourts.


Low emission vehicles have also historically benefitted from economic incentives like cheap motor insurance - although as they become the mainstream option, this may eventually change too.


Driverless cars

One of the biggest changes coming to our roads is the introduction of driverless cars, already being trialled in some places, and what this will eventually do to road risks insurance remains to be seen too.


For now, driverless cars will need to have a human operator at the wheel just in case anything goes wrong, but we are already seeing accidents averted by braking assist features.


In fact there is more chance of a manned vehicle crashing into a driverless car, than of the reverse happening, and as more take to the roads that can only be a good thing.


Car sharing


Finally, although it has been around for a while and does not require any particular technological advance, we are seeing a rise in car sharing among eco-conscious commuters and other travellers.


This raises its own questions about whether the vehicle is therefore being used for business purposes - so again, if you are uncertain about the impact on your road risks insurance, get in touch for more advice.


But with transport emissions and passenger miles on the agenda moving into the new year, it's good to see some simple trends are still taking shape that don't require any invention or innovation in vehicle technology, but are based simply on human ingenuity instead.