Latest Personal Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

At Labor’s Urging, House Bill to Speed Self-Driving Vehicles Exempts Trucks

Jul 31 2017 // Labor unions are urging a slowdown as lawmakers fast track legislation to allow self-driving vehicles on the road, a potential boon to some union jobs and an existential threat to others. The House Energy & Commerce...

Texas Senate OKs Bill That Preempts Local Texting While Driving Rules

Jul 28 2017 // The Texas Senate has approved a beefed-up texting while driving ban that preempts existing local ordinances against distracted driving in 45 cities statewide. In May, the Republican-controlled Legislature made Texas one of...

School Bus Cameras Can Implicate Speeding Drivers Under New N.C. Law

Jul 28 2017 // North Carolina motorists could be fined at least $400 if they pass a stopped school bus, according to a new law now in effect. Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday signed into law legislation that he suggested while still attorney...

Tennessee School Bus Drivers Using Mobile Devices Face Jail Under New State Law

Jul 27 2017 // Four former Tennessee school bus drivers charged with using electronic devices while behind the wheel could face 30-day jail terms if convicted under a new law. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on Monday the defendants...

AXA to Provide Accident Cover for Uber Drivers in France

Jul 25 2017 // Uber and insurance group AXA have joined forces in France to offer accident cover for drivers who work for the ride hailing service after it faced criticism over their treatment. In France, as in other countries, Uber has...

Travelers Launches Usage-Based Insurance App for Personal Auto Customers

Jul 18 2017 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. has launched IntelliDrive smartphone app, which gives customers insights into their driving habits and auto insurance priced according to how they drive. Customers who use the app and drive...

5 Southeast States Hold Coordinated Safe Driving Campaign

Jul 18 2017 // Police in five Southeastern states are launching a weeklong program to reduce summertime wrecks and traffic deaths. “Operation Southern Shield” started Monday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and...

Taxi Drivers in North Carolina’s Capital City Face Rough Year Thanks to Ridesharing

Jul 18 2017 // Johnson Umeh has plenty of experience as a taxi driver, and he says the job has never been as tough as it is now. Like many drivers, his business is being sapped by Uber and Lyft – the popular ride-hailing apps that...

Tesla Driver: Autopilot System Didn’t Cause Minnesota Crash

Jul 17 2017 // The driver of a Tesla vehicle involved in a crash in Minnesota on July 16 has denied that its Autopilot system caused the incident, according to an email released by the automaker on Monday. The Kandiyohi County...

First Uber Driver in Alaska’s Denali Hits The Streets

Jul 6 2017 // Denali’s first Uber driver has hit the streets following Gov. Bill Walker’s recent signing of a ridesharing bill. The first thing Noah Treky, 36, did was turn on his Uber app after the governor’s approval...

Driver Fairness Bill Passes Delaware General Assembly

Jun 29 2017 // The Delaware State Senate has voted nearly unanimously (24-1) to pass House Substitute 1 for House Bill 80 (HS 1 for HB 80). This measure, a substitute to the Department of Insurance’s original HB 80, targets unfair...

Auto Insurance Market to Shrink by 70% by 2050: KPMG

Jun 29 2017 // Autonomous vehicle technology, a rise in on-demand transportation and a shifting of liability to manufacturers will shrink the auto insurance sector by more than 70 percent or $137 billion by 2050, according to updated...

Opioids, Distracted Driving Cited in Rise of Preventable Accidents

Jun 29 2017 // More than 130,000 Americans are killed annually by preventable causes, and the number has been climbing at a faster rate recently because of opioid abuse and car crashes involving drivers distracted by mobile devices. The...

Automakers Grapple with What To Do with Drivers in Autonomous Vehicles

Jun 26 2017 // Automakers are using tiny cameras, sensors to track drooping heads, steering wheel monitors and audible alerts to ensure drivers pay attention when using advanced driver assistance systems, like Tesla’s Autopilot,...

California Judge Will Let San Francisco Subpoena Uber for Driver Information

Jun 23 2017 // A California state judge said that San Francisco can demand from Uber records containing the ridesharing company’s driver contact information, the city attorney said. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera last...

Why Drivers Fear Driverless Cars

Jun 22 2017 // Davy Andrews is so adept at technology that he’s become the de facto IT troubleshooter in his office. But there’s one bit of tech he won’t touch: self-driving cars. “I wouldn’t want to be the...

Utah Drivers Lie About Medical Conditions to Keep Motoring, Officials Say

Jun 20 2017 // State officials say many Utah residents lie about their medical conditions so they can keep driving without restrictions. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the state relies on people to report medical conditions themselves,...

Michigan Truck Driver Wins Appeal in ‘Transportational Use’ Insurance Case

Jun 19 2017 // The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Detroit-area man who is seeking insurance benefits for injuries suffered when he got out of his pickup truck. Daniel Kemp tore a calf muscle while stretching on his...

New Chicago Program Aims to Reduce Car Crashes by 2026

Jun 15 2017 // Chicago officials are launching a new program to help reduce roadway crashes by 2026. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office announced the program this week. Officials say it’ll approach traffic safety as a public health...

Congress May Override State Rules on Self-Driving Vehicle Testing

Jun 8 2017 // Congress is working on national self-driving vehicle legislation that could replace state-by state rules and make it easier for automakers to test and deploy the technology, senior U.S. House and Senate lawmakers told...