Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Michigan Police Face Challenge of Enforcing Text-Driving Ban
Jun 28 2010 // When Michigan’s ban on texting while driving takes effect Thursday, July 1, police will be able to pull over motorists solely for using their cell phones to send or look at text messages or e-mails. Some in law...
Iowa Texting While Driving Ban Takes Effect July 1
Jun 28 2010 // Iowa motorists will face new restrictions aimed at cutting down on distractions beginning July 1. A new law that bans adults from reading, writing and sending text messages goes into effect Thursday. The law also bans...
Michigan Billboards Remind Drivers to ‘Txt Back L8R’
Jun 24 2010 // Billboards going up around Michigan are reminding drivers to hold off on text messaging. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said that the billboards in major metropolitan areas will carry the phrase text back...
Tennessee Takes Gradual Approach to Reducing Teen Driving Deaths
Jun 16 2010 // A state official says Tennessee has made some headway in reducing traffic fatalities among teens. Phillip Doss, director of the state’s Offices of Research and Educational Accountability, commented to The Tennessean...
Enforcing South Carolina’s Drunk Driving Laws Requires Patience
Jun 15 2010 // Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Joel Frazier is a good listener. Frazier, a 12-year law enforcement veteran, has worked for the South Carolina county sheriff’s office as a patrol deputy for six years. Last...
Ohio Judge Nixes Driving Record Fee
Jun 10 2010 // A judge has struck down a higher motor vehicle fee charged to trucking and insurance companies, saying it violates Ohio’s constitution. Lawmakers last year raised the fee on certified copies of driving records from...
Massachusetts City Seeks Texting While Driving Ban
Jun 9 2010 // Springfield, Massachusetts has taken a step toward banning texting while driving. The city council on Monday passed a home rule petition by a 12-1 margin that would allow police to fine anyone who sends or receives text...
Delaware Police Target Aggressive Driving
Jun 8 2010 // State officials are warning motorists that police are cracking down on aggressive driving in Delaware. The Delaware Office of Highway Safety says 11 state, county and municipal police agencies will conduct patrols this...
Georgia Bans Texting While Driving; Targets Teens
Jun 7 2010 // Put down the cell phone and step away from the car. Georgia drivers soon will be banned from texting, checking e-mail or using the Internet behind the wheel and teens will be prohibited from using their cell phones at all...
20% of Drivers Would Flunk Test
Jun 7 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Texting While Driving Ban Now Law in Vermont
Jun 2 2010 // It’s now illegal to text while driving in Vermont. Gov. Jim Douglas signed the ban into law Tuesday at the Montpelier High School, joining at least 25 states that have banned the practice. The measure also bans the...
Road Hazard: 20% of U.S. Drivers Would Flunk If Given Driving Test
May 27 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Rhode Island Offers Hearings for 1,500 Suspended Drivers
May 21 2010 // Hundreds of drivers who had their licenses suspended without being told why can keep driving until they get a hearing to resolve the issue, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles said. The American Civil Liberties...
Few New Jersey Teens Are Complying with New Driver-Decal Law, State Says
May 17 2010 // Few New Jersey teen drivers are complying with the nation’s first law that requires them to display decals on their license plates. Fewer than one in four had purchased the decals when the new law went into effect...
Californians Urged to Spot Early Indicators of Risky Elderly Drivers
May 11 2010 // Stubbornness, aggressive behavior and forgetfulness could be clues that an aging motorist may need to curb their driving, according to the Insurance Information Network of California. IINC is advising the insurance...
Cell Phones Raise Teen Nighttime Driving Risks in Texas, Nationally
May 7 2010 // Nighttime driving is becoming more hazardous for American teenagers and the likely cause is talking and texting on cell phones while operating a vehicle, according to a study released May 6. The report by the Texas...
Vermont Lawmakers to Ban Driving While Texting
May 6 2010 // Vermont lawmakers want to put an S-T-O-P to drivers who text. Under a deal reached Tuesday between lawmakers, texting by drivers of any age will be banned, starting this summer. And the bill that says so goes a step...
Four More Massachusetts Insurers Settle over Driving Records
May 6 2010 // Nearly 10,000 Massachusetts drivers’ records will be corrected after four insurers reached settlements with the state over their failure to do so. Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office reached settlements...
Few New Jersey Teens Comply with Driver Decal Law
May 5 2010 // Few New Jersey teen drivers are complying with the nation’s first law that requires them to display decals on their license plates. Fewer than one in four had purchased decals when the new law went into effect on...
Bills Banning Handheld Phones While Driving Pass Louisiana Committee
Apr 29 2010 // Two bills that would ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving have breezed out of the Louisiana House of Representatives Transportation Committee. Both would allow drivers to talk using hands-free devices. One...
