Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tesla, Drivers, Regulators All to Blame for Fatal Crash, Says Safety Board
Mar 23 2020 // The National Transportation Safety Board says two drivers, Tesla and lax regulation of new partially automated driving systems are to blame for a fatal 2019 crash in Florida involving a Tesla on Autopilot. The NTSB, in a...
U.S. Agency Rewrite of Rules Will Speed Up Arrival of Self-Driving Cars
Mar 17 2020 // The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Tuesday it was proposing sweeping changes to U.S. safety requirements to speed the deployment of self-driving vehicles without human controls. The agency said...
Driver Injured in Accident Not Eligible for Workers’ Comp After Failing to Wear Seat Belt
Mar 16 2020 // The Court of Appeals of Virginia has upheld a Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission decision that workers’ comp benefits cannot be awarded to a truck driver injured in an accident after failing to wear a...
Oklahoma House Passes Bill Changing Commercial Driver’s License Renewal Process
Mar 11 2020 // A bill shifting renewal of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) from offices of the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to local tag agencies passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives this afternoon. House Bill 1966 was...
Uber Drivers Take Backseat in Clash Between Safety and Customer Privacy
Mar 11 2020 // Margaret Bordelon can still feel the hands of the drunk man who tried to pull her in for a kiss at the end of his Uber ride last September in Lafayette, Louisiana. An Uber driver for only a few months, Bordelon, 45,...
Lawsuit: Teens’ Bodies Misidentified, Switched After Fatal Florida Car Crash
Mar 10 2020 // The parents of two teenagers killed in a car crash are suing the Florida Highway Patrol and others, claiming the bodies of their daughters were misidentified and switched. The lawsuits follow a July 29 crash in the...
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law Takes Effect
Mar 9 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law went into effect February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in the...
Drivers at Risk: Why Delivery Apps Might Leave Clients Without Coverage
Mar 9 2020 // Why Delivery Apps Might Leave Clients Without Coverage Just a few years ago, a grocery run or a run to Chick-fil-A was to get something you needed and bring it home. These days, it seems like a run anywhere can include a...
Boise Passes Hand-Held Phone Ban for Drivers
Mar 6 2020 // It’s now illegal to use a hand-held device while driving in Boise. The city council unanimously approved an ordinance banning hand-held cell phone use while driving during a meeting on Tuesday. The new rule means...
South Dakota Legislation Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving Sent to Governor
Mar 5 2020 // A bill passed by the South Dakota Legislature bans the use of smartphones and other electronic communication devices while driving, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) reported. The APCIA supports...
French Court Deals Blow to Uber by Giving Drivers Employee Status
Mar 5 2020 // France’s top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm’s business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits...
Ford to Help Customers Connect to Allstate Insurance Driver Tracking Program
Mar 4 2020 // Allstate Corp. struck a deal with Ford Motor Co. that will allow some of the automaker’s customers to share data with the insurer for its program that tracks mileage. The majority of Ford and Lincoln 2020 model-year...
U.S. Lags Europe in Driver Assist Technology Safety Testing
Mar 2 2020 // Autopilot, Super Cruise and Drive Pilot are different names given to technology that automates steering and braking in a growing number of vehicles, but none of it can safely “pilot” cars without regular human...
Agency M&As: Private Equity Still in Driver’s Seat; Digital Agencies Attract Attention
Mar 2 2020 // The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory in 2019. As many as two-thirds of all deals involved private equity, according to experts. Most...
Reckless Drivers Could Lose Vehicles Under New NYC Law
Feb 28 2020 // New York City drivers who get five camera-issued red light tickets or 15 camera-issued speeding tickets in a 12-month period will have to take a traffic safety course or risk losing their vehicles under a bill signed by...
Self-Driving EasyMile Shuttles Suspended After Passenger Injury in Ohio
Feb 26 2020 // U.S. vehicle safety regulators on Feb. 25 said they had ordered a suspension of passenger operations for 16 autonomous shuttles operated by France-based EasyMile after a passenger was injured in an unexplained braking...
Parents in South Dakota Plead for Tougher Texting While Driving Penalties
Feb 24 2020 // Jacob William Dahl was a 19-year-old Northern State University student when he was killed after running into the back of a soybean truck while looking at his cellphone. Dahl, a 2013 graduate of Castlewood High School, was...
Deer Sent Flying by Car Crashed into 2nd Car, Killing Driver
Feb 24 2020 // A deer sent flying when it was hit by a car in southeast Iowa crashed through the window of a second car, killing its driver, the Iowa State Patrol said. The accident occurred a little after 7 p.m. Wednesday on Iowa...
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law to Take Effect
Feb 21 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law takes effect this Sunday, February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in...
Ohio Bill Would Make Using Hand-Held Device While Driving a Primary Offense
Feb 19 2020 // A new bill introduced in Ohio would strengthen Ohio’s laws regarding the use of wireless devices, including smartphones, while driving. The Hands-Free Ohio bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and...
