Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mass. Bill to Ban Texting While Driving Includes Insurance Surcharges
Jan 25 2008 // The Massachusetts House has approved a bill banning drivers from talking or texting on cell phones while behind the wheel, despite opposition from a lawmaker from a city where authorities say a man sending a message struck...
Ky. Towns Plans to Bill Out-of-Town Drivers Blamed for Traffic Accidents
Jan 25 2008 // The self-proclaimed “Friendship City” has decided it’s tired of being a doormat for motorists from neighboring communities. When police in this Cincinnati suburb respond to an accident in which an...
N.H. Debates $100 Fine for Text-Messaging While Driving
Jan 25 2008 // New Hampshire is debating making it illegal for drivers to send text messages on cell phones or type on laptop computers. You still could talk on a cell phone while driving. Assistant Safety Commissioner Earl Sweeney told...
Okla. Bill Aims to Ban Texting, Cell Phone Use by Teens While Driving
Jan 25 2008 // Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Danny Morgan has filed legislation that would make it illegal for teenagers to use cell phones or text while driving. In announcing his bill, Morgan, D-Prague, said he believes the measure,...
Texas AG Gives Conditional Approval to Enhanced Driver’s Licenses
Jan 24 2008 // Attorney General Greg Abbott has given conditional approval to a state plan to create driver’s licenses that store citizenship information for faster and easier border crossings. Abbott’s ruling said the...
Maine Study: Suspended Drivers in High Number of Deadly Crashes
Jan 22 2008 // Suspended drivers represent a small minority of all motorists but are involved in a disproportionately large number of serious highway crashes in Maine, the Maine Sunday Telegram reported. After analyzing records from a...
Utah Lawmakers Consider Revoking Driving Privilege Cards
Jan 22 2008 // Utah lawmakers may consider restricting or revoking driving privilege cards for undocumented immigrants when the 2008 Legislature convenes this week. Created in 2005, the cards allow immigrants to drive legally —...
Va. Takes Step Toward Repeal of Costly Bad Driver Fees
Jan 18 2008 // The costly bad-driving fees on Virginians took a first step toward repeal in a chaotic proceeding this week, barely six months after they took effect. Lawmakers, however, stripped the bill of reimbursements for people who...
Okla. Bill Would Mandate DUI, DWI Convictions on Drivers’ Licenses
Jan 16 2008 // Oklahoma State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, recently filed a measure aimed at reducing drunk driving convictions and alcohol-related traffic fatalities by requiring that previous DUI or DWI convictions be noted on...
N.C. Holiday Traffic Safety Campaign Nets 4,367 Impaired Driving Arrests
Jan 15 2008 // North Carolina state and local law enforcement officers issued citations to 4,367 motorists for driving while impaired during the Holiday “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, according to Gov. Mike Easley. The...
19 Surrender in Ongoing Florida Drivers License Scam Investigation
Jan 11 2008 // Florida officials arrested 19 additional Floridians accused of fraudulently obtaining Florida commercial driver licenses (CDLs). Those arrested this week surrendered, some calling in response to initial arrests on Jan. 4....
Minn. Counties Test Blow-in-Tube Devises for Drunken Driver Offenders
Jan 11 2008 // Repeat drunken drivers in two Minnesota counties can get back behind the wheel sooner if they pay to have blow-in-the-tube devices installed in their vehicles. So far, results in the two pilot programs are mixed. County...
W. Va. Bill would Create Special Program for Low Vision Drivers
Jan 9 2008 // Tonya Conley is one of just 15 people in West Virginia with a driver’s license despite having vision below minimum legal standards. But if a bill recommended by an interim legislative committee passes this year, she...
Insurance Application and Drivers License Fraud Lead to Arrests in Fla.
Jan 7 2008 // Florida officials arrested seven Floridians accused of posing a risk to Florida’s and the nation’s security by fraudulently obtaining Florida Commercial Driver Licenses. The investigation is ongoing and...
Mass. Bills Would Ban Text Messaging by Drivers
Jan 4 2008 // The death of a 13-year-old Taunton, Mass. boy last month has prompted new calls to ban text messaging while driving. Craig Bigos of New Bedford told police he was sending a text message to a friend when he swerved and...
N.J. Relaxes Rules for Writing Personal Auto Insurance
Jan 4 2008 // New Jersey auto insurance agents will have a lot easier time quoting and writing new policies under a bill signed yesterday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine. The bill, which had awaited his signature since last month, eliminates the...
Virginia Legislator Wants to End Texting While Driving
Jan 3 2008 // Text-messaging while driving could be outlawed if a northern Virginia lawmaker gets his wish. Delegate James Scott, a Falls Church Democrat, has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for people to send text messages _...
Uninsured Drivers in Vermont Could Face Increased Fines
Dec 27 2007 // Uninsured drivers would face $500 fines under a bill that Vermont lawmakers plan to consider in their upcoming session. State Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said he has heard many complaints from people who have been...
Driving History in Mass.
Dec 23 2007 // Thirty years ago, the last time Massachusetts tried to introduce competitive rating into private passenger auto insurance, Democrat Michael Dukakis was governor. That experiment lasted about seven months before being...
Flying Ice Injures Pa. Ambulance Driver
Dec 21 2007 // An ambulance driver in Bethlehem, Pa. says ice blew off a tractor trailer, smashed her windshield, struck her on the head and showered the inside of the ambulance with ice and broken glass. Jessica Strivelli says if the...
