Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ban on Texting While Driving in Arkansas Starts Oct. 1
Sep 29 2009 // A law that goes into effect Oct. 1 will prohibit Arkansas drivers from texting or sending e-mail from their handheld devices while driving. The Legislature passed the ban during the last session, calling it...
AAA Survey: 1 Out of 5 Drivers Admits to Texting While Behind the Wheel
Sep 28 2009 // Nearly one out of five U.S. drivers surveyed has read or sent a text message while behind the wheel, even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered such action...
U.S. Safety Agency Eyes Cell Phone Use Ban for Bus, Truck Drivers
Sep 25 2009 // Safety investigators told federal regulators three years ago that it was dangerous for bus drivers to talk on cell phones while driving and recommended a ban. The National Transportation Safety Board put that...
Connecticut Adds Second Test for Teen Drivers
Sep 24 2009 // Starting next month, all 16- and 17-year-olds in Connecticut who are seeking a driver’s license will need to pass an additional second written test, called the “DMV Final Exam,” under a recent law change...
Calif. Ballot Measure Would Make Driver ‘Persistency’ Discount Portable
Sep 21 2009 // But Consumer Group Says Insurer’s Measure Would Harm More Than Help Insureds Insurer-backed Californians for Fair Auto Insurance Rates (CalFAIR) is promoting a voter initiative that would reward drivers who have had...
Wisconsin Democrats Promise Crackdown on Drunken-Drivers
Sep 17 2009 // Democrats who control the Wisconsin Legislature promise to focus on cracking down on drunken driving this fall, among other priorities. The state Senate began its fall session Tuesday and the Assembly starts Wednesday. The...
Kentucky Among States Considering Ban on Texting While Driving
Sep 15 2009 // Motorists would be forbidden to send text messages while behind the wheel under proposals awaiting legislative action in Kentucky early next year. Two lawmakers have filed bills that would add Kentucky to a growing list of...
Massachusetts Commissioner Caps Premium Increase for Riskiest Drivers
Sep 9 2009 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has laid out what she sees as the “fair” range of auto insurance premium increases for those drivers insured through the state’s residual market. In a...
New Law Boosts Penalties for Drunk Driving in Oklahoma
Sep 9 2009 // A new state law in Oklahoma provides greater protection for children endangered by drunk drivers. Senate Bill 1139, by state Sen. Mary Easley and state Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, allows drunk drivers to face felony...
New York Regulators Post Rules for Flex-Rate Personal Auto
Aug 25 2009 // The New York State Insurance Department has posted a notice of proposed regulations for flexible-rating on personal auto insurance. Flex-rating, which allows insurers to set pricing within a certain premium range, was last...
Enforcement Stepped Up; Trends Show More Women Driving Impaired
Aug 20 2009 // At an event today kicking off a nationwide anti-drunk driving enforcement campaign, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that shows an...
Four Commercial Auto Endorsements Every Insured Should Consider
Aug 18 2009 // Insurance Services Office (ISO) lists more than 100 endorsements available for use with the business auto policy (BAP) (the total number varies by state). Out of that heap of policy-altering endorsements, most designed to...
Elderly Drivers Found More Prone to Side-Impact Crashes
Aug 18 2009 // Many drivers over age 70 realize that their reaction time is slower so they naturally compensate by driving more carefully, says Matthew Romoser, who studies age-related physical and cognitive function and driving skills...
Gainsco Reports Income Increase in Q2 2009 Results
Aug 14 2009 // Dallas-based Gainsco Inc. announced net income for the second quarter 2009 increased to $1.6 million, compared with a second quarter 2008 net income of $1 million. Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $3.7...
New Mexico Governor Wants First-Time Drunk Drivers Jailed, Fined
Aug 12 2009 // New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson wants to put first-time drunken driving offenders behind bars for three days and fine them $2,500. Richardson also said that measures to be introduced during the next legislative session in...
Report: Truck Driver’s Inattention Caused Massive Oklahoma Wreck
Aug 5 2009 // The inattention of a tractor-trailer driver led to a wreck on the Will Rogers Turnpike that killed 10 people in June, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in a report released Aug. 3. Investigators looking into the June 26...
Mississippi High Court to Hear Case Challenging Drunk Driving Test
Aug 4 2009 // The Mississippi Supreme Court has agreed to hear a driving under the influence (DUI) case that revolves around the theory of “retrograde extrapolation.” Retrograde extrapolation is determining whether a person...
U Michigan Researcher: Less Leisure Driving Behind Drop in Road Fatalities
Aug 4 2009 // Fewer Americans are dying on the nation’s roads, not only because they are driving less, but also because the type of driving has changed, says a researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research...
U.S. Transportation Agency to Hold Distracted Driving Summit
Aug 4 2009 // U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a September summit to address the dangers of text-messaging and other distractions behind the wheel. In late September, senior transportation officials, elected...
Lawmakers to Propose Ban on Texting while Driving
Jul 30 2009 // States would be required to ban driving while texting or face the loss of highway funds under legislation being pushed by a group of Democratic senators. Aimed at reducing driver distraction and highway deaths and...
