While the media, ethicists and perhaps the public like to ponder whether a self-driving car in a crisis should be programmed to hit a group of nuns crossing the street or hit a bus full of schoolkids, the drive toward autonomous driving is unlikely to be slowed by such moral dilemmas, insurance executives were told recently.

That’s because while scenarios involving split second decisions and catastrophic consequences are worth considering, the odds of some of them happening are very low whereas the odds of automated driving saving many lives are very high, Joe Schneider, managing director, KPMG Corporate Finance, suggested before attendees at the Super Regional P/C Insurer Conference in Lake Geneva, Wis.