Latest Personal Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ex-New Orleans Policeman Pleads Guilty to Criminal Mischief in Car Crash

Mar 29 2013 // A former New Orleans police officer accused last fall of falsifying a police report to cover up an alleged hit-and-run accident in his personal car has pleaded to a lesser charge. The Times-Picayune reports 39-year-old...

Michigan Drivers to Pay $11 More for Crash-Related Health Care

Mar 29 2013 // An insurance board says the annual fee that Michigan drivers pay for some personal injury costs will increase 6 percent to $186 per year starting July 1. The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association announced the fee. The...

Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Driver’s License Law

Mar 26 2013 // Georgia’s highest court has rejected a Mexican national’s argument that part of a state law that requires a Georgia-issued driver’s license to get behind the wheel is unconstitutional because it...

Safety Effort Targets Missouri’s Older Drivers

Mar 22 2013 // Officials unveiled a public health campaign on March 20 aimed at helping get aging Missouri men and women off the roads when it’s no longer safe for them to drive and at preparing them for life without a license. The...

Oregon Trooper uses Facebook to ID driver

Mar 20 2013 // Oregon State Police say a trooper checked Facebook to determine that a driver whose face didn’t match his license was really a fugitive wanted on felony warrants. Lt. Gregg Hastings says an equipment violation...

Minnesota Bills Would Allow Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

Mar 20 2013 // Bills that would let illegal immigrants get a Minnesota driver’s license are moving forward at the Capitol. The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee has passed a bill to ease restrictions on...

More U.S. Than European Drivers on Phone: Study

Mar 19 2013 // Distracted driving is more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe, according to a study that surveyed drivers about their cellphone and texting habits. More U.S. drivers reported talking on their cellphones behind the wheel...

New Mexico Drunken Driver Explains Suit Against Friend, Restaurants

Mar 15 2013 // A Santa Fe, N.M. man convicted of a fatal 2010 drunken-driving accident says his filing a lawsuit against two restaurants and a drinking buddy doesn’t mean he’s not taking responsibility for his actions. James...

West Virginia Bill Would Yank License of Drivers Refusing Blood Test

Mar 15 2013 // Under legislation debated this week, West Virginia drivers could have their licenses revoked for refusing to take a blood test after they’re arrested. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin proposed the bill to try to crack down on...

Kentucky Judges Dismiss Texting While Driving Charges

Mar 12 2013 // Jefferson County, Kentucky judges have dismissed nearly 40 percent of the texting while driving charges brought under the state’s two-year-old ban while police and prosecutors say the ban is nearly impossible to...

Agents Hang Onto P/C Market But Lose Ground in Personal Auto: Study

Mar 11 2013 // After experiencing dwindling premiums for years, the property/casualty insurance industry managed to grow substantially in 2011. Independent agents and brokers hung onto their share of the market with some independent...

New Mexico Drunken Driver Sues Buddy, Restaurants

Mar 11 2013 // A repeat drunken driver convicted in a crash that killed two teenagers has sued his drinking buddy and two Santa Fe restaurants that served him alcohol. James Ruiz, 37, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in New Mexico District...

Driving Stoned Bill Passes Colorado House Committee

Mar 11 2013 // A bill that sets the legal limit to just how stoned drivers in Colorado can be passed unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 1114 sets the limit for driving under the influence of marijuana at 5 nanograms...

Texas Market Share: Homeowners and Personal Auto

Mar 11 2013 // Top 40 Insurers/Homeowners Based on 2011 Texas Written Premium Rank Company $ Written Premium % of Market 1 State Farm Lloyds $1,678,075,665 28.09% 2 Allstate Texas Lloyd’s 462,398,477 7.74% 3 Texas Farmers Ins....

Texting While Driving Injuries to Rise Despite Bans, Warnings: Study

Mar 8 2013 // As states take measures to keep drivers from texting and talking while driving, a new report from researchers at the West Virginia University School of Public Health asserts the laws probably aren’t having much...

Florida Senate Advances Bill Banning Texting While Driving

Mar 7 2013 // A statewide texting-while-driving ban that has eluded passage for several years is again moving through the Florida Legislature. The Senate Communications committee meets Wednesday to consider the bill (SB 52). Opponents...

Panel Kills South Dakota Plan to Ban Texting While Driving

Mar 1 2013 // A South Dakota legislative committee has killed a bill that would have banned texting while driving statewide, despite sometimes-tearful testimony from people whose loved ones have been killed in texting-related...

South Dakota Panel Endorses Cellphone Ban for Young Drivers

Feb 28 2013 // A measure that prohibits beginning drivers from using cellphones or other electronic devices until they get unrestricted licenses at age 16 passed through a South Dakota House committee. But the Transportation Committee...

Texas Auto Insurers Back Texting While Driving Restrictions

Feb 27 2013 // Texas’ major auto insurers support proposed legislation to prohibit texting while driving as the next logical step to prevent accidents and deaths on Texas’ increasingly crowded roadways. Beaman Floyd,...

Driving Stoned Bill Passes Colorado House Committee

Feb 27 2013 // A bill that sets the legal limit to just how “stoned” drivers in Colorado can be passed unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 1114 sets the limit for driving under the influence of...