Money Infant

You there – quick, tell me what year is it? It seems then that the time machine worked. I have important information regarding car insurance in the future. The ability to compare the market is only the beginning! You must listen and remember what I’m about to tell you. It won’t be long before the Time Police find out I’m here and send enforcers after me. I’m not insane. I’m from the future, 23 years in the future to be exact, and I’ve come back to make the world better.

How Will The Future Be Better?
I am part of a faction of hackers. We discovered a timetable of inventions that were suppressed by the big corporations of your time, a timetable that includes the release of many smart technology features on automobiles. These things never came to pass in my timeline, but I’m here to bring this information to you so that these improvements shall come to pass in yours. We recorded the information on old-fashioned memory cards so that your modern computers can read the files.

In short, by implementing the safety features detailed within your future will be one with fewer automobile accidents. While the main benefit of this technology is the lessening of auto accidents, one of the additional side effects is a reduction of the importance of automobile insurance. While there will likely still be a need for car insurance, fewer accidents means theoretically lower premiums. The revolution has already begun. I just need you to make sure it stays on track.

How Has the Revolution Already Begun?
You’ve no doubt seen the various “snapshot” tools that have begun showing up for various insurance companies. This was the beginning of the revolution. Drivers plug this device into their vehicle, which allows for the device to read several bits of data about the drivers’ habits. When this device is turned in, the insurance company can withdraw the data and tailor the driver’s premiums based on his or her driving records.

These tools are not the only ones you have at your disposal in this time period. Many cars have smart features designed to help prevent accidents, such as rear cameras and controls to help bring a car out of a skid. These sorts of tools are very useful for making accidents less serious or helping to avoid them altogether. However, they are only the beginning!

What Does the Future Hold?
Normally, I would avoid answering your question for fear that I might cause irreparable harm to the timeline but, since it’s all laid out in the timeline on that card, I don’t think much harm will come to your timeline. Within five to seven years, you can look for in-car communications that are more intuitive, and they can help immensely with avoiding traffic jams and accidents.

At some point between 2017 and 2025, many cars will come equipped with an “auto-pilot” feature to help guide you during a drive. Furthermore, sensors built into vehicles will reduce accidents, particularly at junctions, and will let cars change lanes, either completely on their own or with minimal assistance from drivers. At some point during this period, you will also be able to give your vehicle voice commands, instructing it where it should leave the motorway.

What lies beyond 2025? Amazing things lie beyond that time frame. Imagine, if you will, cars that are capable of literally driving themselves. Cars in this era will also be able to park themselves, both in spaces and into a garage. With all of these features, many accidents should become a thing of the past, and this should decrease liability and, therefore, drive car insurance premiums down.

In fact, most of this technology will be available very soon. For example, the company you know as Volvo will release, in 2014, test vehicles capable of being used in heavy urban traffic safely at speeds of nearly 50kph. The biggest hurdle to releasing this technology quicker seems to be people’s inability to accept such technology currently.

I must hurry and return now. The Time Police are closing in. You hold the fate of your timeline in your hands. Go forth and spread the news; show the automobile makers the light!