Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Medical Marijuana Patients Admit Driving While Under Influence
Jan 9 2019 // More than half of people who take medical cannabis for chronic pain say they’ve driven under the influence of cannabis within two hours of using it, at least once in the last six months, according to a new study. One...
Safety Sharing Economy: Toyota Offers Its Driver Assistance Technology to Competitors
Jan 8 2019 // Toyota Motor Corp. — in an unusual move for the cut-throat car business — has decided to share with rivals an automated safety system that uses self-driving technology to keep cars from crashing. The system,...
Southeast Officials Focus on Curbing Fraud, Rising Auto Rates, Flood Insurance, and Distracted Driving
Jan 7 2019 // For the seventh year in a row, the Florida insurance industry, regulators, and consumer advocates will push for reforms to the state’s assignment of benefits issue that has now become an insurance crisis, according...
State Laws to Curb Drivers’ Use of Cell Phones Appear to Be Saving Lives of Motorcyclists
Jan 7 2019 // Laws to ban or curb drivers’ use of cell phones and other handheld devices have greatly reduced the rate of fatalities for motorcyclists. States with moderate to strong bans have motorcycle fatality rates that differ...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
Idaho Law Requiring Drunk Drivers to Use Interlock Takes Effect
Jan 3 2019 // An Idaho law has gone into effect that requires ignition interlock devices to be installed on the vehicles of first-time convicted drunken drivers. Beginning Jan. 1, all first-time DUI offenders were required to have the...
Uber Pledges to Fight UK Court Decision that Drivers Should Be Treated as Workers
Dec 27 2018 // Uber pledged [on Dec. 19] to challenge a U.K. Court of Appeal decision that drivers should be classed as workers rather than self-employed employees, a verdict that has potentially wide-ranging implications for the rapidly...
Intoxicated Drivers Beware: Texas Troopers Are on the Lookout
Dec 21 2018 // Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, along with other law enforcement agencies, will once again increase their patrols on the state’s roadways this holiday season, the Insurance Council of Texas...
Pennsylvania Says Uber Can Resume Self-Driving Car Testing on Public Roads
Dec 19 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc received approval from Pennsylvania to resume self-driving car testing on public roads this week, state records show, nine months after it suspended the program following a deadly accident in...
U.S. Drivers Sue Hyundai, Kia Over Car Engine Fires
Dec 17 2018 // Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities. More...
A Cautious Uber to Try Self-Driving Vehicles on Roads Again
Dec 17 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is plotting the return of its self-driving cars, but the company known for its hard-charging style is taking a much more conservative approach as it tries to recover from a fatal accident that...
Attorneys for Wrong-Way Arizona Driver Blame Agency for Crash, Injuries
Dec 11 2018 // Attorneys for a wrong-way driver say an Arizona Department of Public Safety sergeant is responsible for a crash that injured the driver and the sergeant. Patricia Carvalho is facing charges of attempted homicide,...
Distracted Driving Laws Save Motorcyclists’ Lives, Research Finds
Dec 6 2018 // Laws to ban or curb drivers’ use of cell phones and other handheld devices have greatly reduced the rate of fatalities for motorcyclists. States with moderate to strong bans have motorcycle fatality rates that differ...
A Cautious Uber to Try Self-Driving Vehicles on Roads Again
Dec 6 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is plotting the return of its self-driving cars, but the company known for its hard-charging style is taking a much more conservative approach as it tries to recover from a fatal accident that...
Investigators: Driver Fatigue Contributed to Deadly 2016 Texas Bus Crash
Dec 5 2018 // A bus driver with “acute sleep deficit” failed to stay in his lane and caused his vehicle to careen out of control, resulting in a wreck that killed nine people and injured nearly 40 others in 2016, federal...
Waymo Self-Driving, Fare-Generating Taxis Hit the Road in Arizona
Dec 5 2018 // Alphabet’s Waymo on Wednesday launched a significant development in its costly, decade-long quest for autonomous transportation: self-driving taxis that actually generate fares. With little fanfare, the company has...
Self-Driving Vehicle Regulation Bill Gets Late Push in Senate
Dec 4 2018 // Key U.S. senators are making a last-ditch effort to win approval of a bill to speed the use of self-driving cars without human controls, but face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. Staff for Republican Senator John Thune...
Why Parents Should Buy Bigger, Safer Vehicles for Teen Drivers
Dec 3 2018 // The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) engages in a wide variety of work to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage from crashes, but most consumers know the IIHS for its safety ratings of new vehicles. The...
Storm System Cancels Flights, Creates Treacherous Driving Conditions in Midwest
Nov 27 2018 // A wintry storm brought blizzard-like conditions to parts of the Midwest early Monday, grounding hundreds of flights and causing slick roads for commuters as they returned to work after the Thanksgiving weekend. The Chicago...
Ohio State Researchers: Road Design Impacts Distracted Driving Crash Frequency
Nov 21 2018 // A new study from Ohio State University’s Risk Institute reveals road design modifications can reduce the frequency and severity of distracted driving crashes. According to the Property Casualty Insurers Association...
