Comment by lotsofpulp
8 hours ago
> The entire point of these articles about mounting lawsuits is those assumptions may be wrong.
And my entire point is I trust the incentives of the insurer to accurately price risk and determine at fault more than a publication that needs clicks.
> And given Tesla is potentially mucking with the data, the exculpatory value of having all those cameras is diminished.
Does the data from Tesla even come into play for an insurer? They need to pay the damaged parties regardless of whether or not Tesla and its software are at fault. For premium pricing purposes, what Tesla does is irrelevant until after Tesla is found liable.
In the meantime, a collision with a Tesla is the same as any other auto brand’s. I don’t think Ford/Toyota/anyone else’s software comes into play. No auto brand picks up the liability for the driver (except Mercedes in some circumstances, I think), so no automaker is in the picture for payment in the event of an individual collision.
> my entire point is I trust the incentives of the insurer to accurately price risk and determine at fault more than a publication that needs clicks
Fair enough. I agree with you in the long run. I just don't think we've seen the litigation that will define liability play out yet.
> Does the data from Tesla even come into play for an insurer?
Directly? No. At least, not unless AI actuaries make the work worth the while.
For juries calculating damages? Plaintiffs weighing whether to bring a case? Sure. That, in turn, plays into liability. And that is something insurers care about.
> In the meantime, a collision with a Tesla is the same as any other auto brand’s
In the meantime, yes. If collisions with Teslas predictably result in larger damages than with other brands, you'd expect to see more litigation when a Tesla is involved/suspected at fault, and with that, higher costs.
> No auto brand picks up the liability for the driver
Tesla has been assigned liability already [1].
[1] https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2025/08/jury-awards-24...