Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Motorcyclist Crash Deaths Up by 17% in 2020
May 4 2021 // Despite less traffic on the road in 2020 and a 2% reduction in motorcycle crashes, there was a 17% increase in Texas motorcycle fatalities compared to 2019, state transportation officials say. The Texas Department of...
Experienced Insurance Provider Launches New Non-Standard Auto Program in Texas
May 4 2021 // IRVING, Tx., May 3, 2021 — Breckenridge Group has launched Breckenridge General Agency (BreckGen), a non-standard auto insurance managing general agency providing Texas insurance agents with a new outlet for affordable...
9th Circuit Lifts Stay on Labor Law Classifying Truck Drivers as Employees
May 3 2021 // A federal appellate court on April 28 reversed a ruling that prevented California from enforcing a new labor law that trucking companies contend will force them to discontinue the use of independent owner-operators and...
Customers Ignored Brands in Shopping for Auto Insurance During Pandemic: J.D. Power
May 3 2021 // Many auto insurance customers have shopped around for new policies during the coronavirus pandemic, but few cared about specific brands, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study. More than half (54%)...
Florida Legislature Passes Major Changes to Auto, Property Insurance Markets
Apr 30 2021 // Florida lawmakers passed two bills on the last day of their 2021 legislative session that make major changes to the state’s auto and property insurance markets. The actions follow weeks of back-and-forth debate on...
GM Says It Has Software Fix for Electric Car Bolt’s Battery Fires
Apr 30 2021 // Engineers at General Motors have figured out how to fix a battery problem with the Chevrolet Bolt electric hatchback that caused five of them to catch fire. The company says they developed diagnostic software to look for...
Branch Insurance Expands Home, Auto Coverage to Colorado, Oklahoma
Apr 29 2021 // Columbus, Ohio-based Branch Insurance is now offering its home and auto insurance coverage in Colorado and Oklahoma. The company, which specializes in bundled home and auto coverage using technology and automation, said...
Citing China, Senators Bid to Accelerate U.S. Self-Driving Vehicle Industry
Apr 23 2021 // Two U.S. senators are working to attach legislation to allow automakers to deploy tens of thousands of self-driving vehicles on U.S. roads to a bipartisan China bill, a significant reform that could help speed the...
Insurers Warn that Drivers May Not Understand Limits of ‘Automated’ Car Technology
Apr 21 2021 // LONDON – Britain’s goal to be a leader in adopting self-driving cars could backfire unless automakers and government regulators spell out the current limitations of the technology, insurance companies...
Lemonade Revving Up to Enter Car Insurance Market
Apr 20 2021 // Lemonade, the insurance company that uses artificial intelligence and behavioral economics, plans to add car insurance to its current renters, homeowners, pet and life insurance offerings in the U.S. The insurtech...
UK Car Insurance Premiums Drop to Lowest Level Since 2015: WTW Survey
Apr 20 2021 // The cost of a comprehensive car insurance policy in Britain slumped 14% in the first quarter of 2021, to their lowest level since 2015, as different phases of lockdowns in the country kept motorists off the streets, a...
Florida Drives Toward Repeal of Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law
Apr 20 2021 // After many years of trying, Florida is closer than ever to repealing its 50-year-old motor vehicle no-fault law. However, many industry stakeholders have expressed opposition to the legislation passed by the Florida Senate...
Insurers Have Paid Nearly $1.7B Property, Auto Claims from Texas Winter Storm
Apr 19 2021 // As of late March, Texas policyholders had filed 386,108 property and auto insurance claims related to the winter storm that blanketed the state in mid-February. That number reflects preliminary results from a data call...
Why Nonstandard Auto Is More Critical Than Ever
Apr 19 2021 // Customers, insurance carriers and their distribution need nonstandard auto protection for drivers now more than any time in history. Although some carriers have declined to cover higher-risk drivers in the past, that could...
Deaths in Vehicle Crashes Up 38% in South Dakota in 2020
Apr 16 2021 // The number of traffic crash fatalities in South Dakota rose to 141 last year — an increase of 38% over the previous year. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in 2020, there were 132 crashes in which the...
Auto Insurers Lead 2020 U.S. Property/Casualty Impairments: AM Best
Apr 16 2021 // Seven insurance company impairments were identified in the U.S. property/casualty industry in 2020, with five of the seven involving auto insurers, according to an AM Best special report. Last year’s number was an...
New Jersey Man Charged with Insurance Fraud for Rate Evasion After Van Accident
Apr 8 2021 // A New Jersey man has been charged with insurance fraud after an investigation revealed he failed to pay the correct premiums to insure his commercial vehicle and deprived his employees of proper insurance coverage. Passaic...
Farmers Completes Acquisition of MetLife Auto & Home Business for $3.9 Billion
Apr 8 2021 // Zurich Insurance and Farmers Exchanges have closed on buying MetLife’s U.S. property/casualty business for $3.94 billion. The business acquired includes 2.4 million MetLife Auto & Home policies, $3.6 billion of...
Maine Auto Body Manufacturing Plant Faces Nearly $400K in Fines for Safety Violations
Apr 7 2021 // A Waterville, Maine, auto body manufacturing plant is facing nearly $400,000 in proposed fines for unaddressed fall and noise hazards that placed its employees at risk. The Shyft Group Duramag LLC – formerly F3 MFG Inc....
Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawsuits Target of Texas Legislation
Apr 5 2021 // A pair of companion bills have been introduced in the Texas House and Senate that proponents say are aimed at providing consistency and uniformity in civil actions involving commercial vehicle accidents. Opponents, on the...
