Latest Personal Auto Headlines

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

Tennessee to Issue Real ID Secure Driver’s Licenses

Jan 23 2013 // Three Tennessee counties will begin issuing secure driver’s licenses this spring in an effort to crack down on fraud. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that the new process for licenses is being piloted at...

Migrants Could Qualify For Arizona Driver’s Licenses

Jan 22 2013 // Updated guidelines by federal authorities could possibly open the door for young illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses in Arizona. The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that those who receive...

California Study: Safer If Illegal Immigrants Get Driver’s Licenses

Jan 17 2013 // A California study shows driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants would make streets safer. The Department of Motor Vehicles report says unlicensed drivers in the state, most of them illegal immigrants are nearly...

Michigan Governor Signs Cellphone Ban for Novice Drivers

Jan 14 2013 // Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation prohibiting novice drivers from using a cellphone while behind the wheel. The bill applies to holders of Level 1 licenses, who must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or...

Florida Drivers Can Challenge Presumption of Fault

Jan 14 2013 // Florida’s high court has ruled that drivers that cause an automobile accident by striking another car from behind can still sue the other driver for damages depending on the circumstances of the accident and the...

Float Driver Won’t Face Charges in Texas Train Crash

Jan 11 2013 // A grand jury has declined to indict the driver of a float involved in a train collision that killed four U.S. military veterans in a West Texas parade. Dale Andrew Hayden, the driver of the truck pulling the float, will...

Illinois House OKs Illegal Immigrant Driver’s License Bill

Jan 11 2013 // Illinois has moved a step closer to becoming the next state to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses after House lawmakers approved a bill requiring one-year proof of state residency, form of...

Study: Uninsured Driver Problem Costs Oklahoma $8.8M a Year

Jan 9 2013 // A new evaluation by the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) found that the state of Oklahoma is losing $8.8 million a year in premium taxes from drivers who fail to obtain the state-required minimum coverage for auto...

Illegal Immigrant Driver License Bill Advances in Illinois

Jan 9 2013 // A proposal to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants has received committee approval in the Illinois House, despite concerns by both Democrats and Republicans whether it goes far enough to prevent fraud. The...

New Mexico Proposal: Breathalyzers In Drunk Drivers’ Homes

Jan 4 2013 // Advocates of ignition interlock devices to combat drunken driving want to expand the requirement so that convicted offenders have to install devices in their home to detect whether they’re using alcohol. The proposed...

Photo Now Part Of Washington Driver’s Breath Test

Dec 31 2012 // Drivers who are required to pass a breath test before they get behind the wheel won’t get away with having someone else blow in the ignition interlock device. Starting with the new year the devices will snap a...

Feds Give Break to Louisiana On Driver License Rules

Dec 31 2012 // Louisiana driver’s licenses still don’t comply with federal law, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted the state a temporary break. That means travelers won’t need passports to fly...

Lloyd’s: Increasing Civil Unrest Driving Political Violence Coverage Demand

Dec 31 2012 // A report from Lloyd’s of London concludes that the increasing demand for political risk insurance “has been rising as civil unrest and political violence continue to threaten businesses around the...

Florida Court Allows Drivers to Rebut Presumption of Fault in Rear-End Crashes

Dec 28 2012 // Florida’s high court has ruled that drivers that cause an automobile accident by striking another car from behind can still sue the other driver for damages depending on the circumstances of the accident and the...

U. of Virginia Researchers Study ‘Virtual Reality’ Driving Tests

Dec 27 2012 // On-road driving tests, a rite of passage for high school students, could soon join eight-track tape players and bench seats in automotive obsolescence. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine are...

Thousands of Drivers Caught In Northern California Cell Phone Crackdown

Dec 26 2012 // Nearly 3,000 drivers were caught breaking cell phone rules during a crackdown in Sacramento County in Northern California. California was one of two states to receive grants for high-visibility law enforcement pilot...

New Alabama Law Targets Drivers Without Insurance

Dec 26 2012 // The owners of the 900,000 Alabama vehicles without liability insurance stand a better chance of getting caught starting Jan. 1. That’s when the state will start enforcing a law designed to crack down on motorists who...

Allstate: Texas Car Crashes Spike More than 20% Around the Holidays

Dec 18 2012 // More Texans crash their cars during the holiday season than any other time of the year, according to an Allstate Insurance Co. review of its claims data over the five year period between 2006 and 2010. The number of auto...

States Urged to Require Ignition Locks for Drunk Drivers

Dec 14 2012 // A federal safety board is recommending that all states require ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders. The five-member National Transportation Safety Board said the devices...

Conn. to Require New Adult Drivers to Hold 3-Month Learner’s Permit

Dec 10 2012 // The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles announced last week that new adult drivers 18 and older will be required to hold a three-month learner’s permit before taking a road test for a driver’s license. The...