Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Graduated Driver Licensing Could Save 2,000 Lives, $13.6 Billion: Study
Dec 7 2011 // If all states implemented comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, an estimated 2,000 lives could be saved. Further, if all 50 states were to enact comprehensive GDL laws, it could generate savings of $13.6...
Insurer Pays in Florida Rental Car Crash
Dec 5 2011 // A rental car customer’s insurer must cover crash injuries, even though an unauthorized driver was behind the wheel. That’s what the Florida Supreme Court decided in a 5-2 opinion recently. The majority ruled in...
Insurance Company Poll: Oregon Drivers Want Harsher Cell Phone Penalties
Dec 5 2011 // According to a poll from PEMCO Insurance, nearly half of Portland-area drivers are upset enough at the prospect of sharing the road with distracted drivers that they believe lawmakers should treat those caught talking,...
Insurer Must Pay for Florida Rental Car Crash by Unauthorized Driver
Nov 28 2011 // A Florida rental car customer’s auto insurer must cover crash injuries, even though the driver was someone not authorized under the rental car company’s contact. In a 5-2 opinion on Nov. 23, the Florida Supreme...
ABI Endorses ‘Tougher Measures’ to Improve Young Drivers’ Safety
Nov 22 2011 // The Association of British Insurers has strongly endorsed “tougher measures to improve young driver safety,” which it explained is “crucial to delivering a better motor insurance deal to...
Insurance Company Poll: Oregon Drivers Want Harsher Penalties for Cell Phone Violators
Nov 16 2011 // According to a poll from PEMCO Insurance, nearly half of Portland-area drivers are upset enough at the prospect of sharing the road with distracted drivers that they believe lawmakers should treat those caught talking,...
New York Students to See Danger of Texting While Driving
Nov 16 2011 // Students in suburban New York are getting a chance to learn the perils of distracted driving without having to worry about an accident or a traffic ticket. A texting-while-driving simulator that resembles an old-fashioned...
Not Enough Drivers Realize Dangers of Drowsy Driving, Insurer Says
Nov 15 2011 // Drunk driving, impaired driving and distracted driving stories frequently make news headlines, but what about drowsy driving? According to the National Sleep Foundation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that...
Cost of Car Crashes Per Person: $1,500
Nov 7 2011 // The total cost of motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. totals $299.5 billion, according to a study done for the auto club AAA. According to the study conducted for AAA by Cambridge Systematics, the overall cost of crashes...
Driving While Phoning? Top 10 Excuses
Nov 7 2011 // Motorists getting distracted by holding a cellphone in one hand and making or receiving calls while driving is a common problem in the United States. A survey conducted by State Farm in November 2010 found that 74 percent...
Myself, the Car: Aggressive Driving Linked to Personality
Nov 7 2011 // Those who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies, a new study finds. The study “Aggressive Driving: A Consumption Experience,” by a Temple University Fox School...
Increased Penalties for Driving Under the Influence Begin in Oklahoma
Nov 1 2011 // Beginning Nov. 1, Oklahomans who drive drunk will face tougher penalties — changes that supporters say will save lives. Sen. Clark Jolley and Rep. Jason Nelson authored the Erin Swezey Act last session, which won...
Farmers Insurance: Nov.1 Will Dramatically Impact Oklahoma Drivers
Oct 31 2011 // Farmers Insurance is advising Oklahoma residents that a new law, which goes into effect on Nov. 1, will have a significant effect on all drivers, especially those who drive without proper automobile insurance. The new...
More Unfit Floridians Have Driver’s Licenses Yanked
Oct 25 2011 // The number of Floridians who have had their driver’s licenses revoked because they are deemed physically or mentally unfit has more than doubled in the last decade. State figures show the main reasons many lose...
New York Court Finds Driver Blinded by Sun Glare May Be Liable in Accident
Oct 20 2011 // New York’s highest court has ruled that a motorist from Syracuse who struck and killed a pedestrian while being distracted by sun glare cannot invoke “emergency doctrine.” An attentive driver would have...
Myself, the Car: Aggressive Driving Linked to Personality
Oct 18 2011 // Those who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies, a new study finds. The study “Aggressive Driving: A Consumption Experience,” by a Temple University Fox School...
Google Secretive About ‘Super Safe’ Robot Car Crash
Oct 17 2011 // In July, an astute observer was driving in Mountain View, Calif., when he came across a multiple car fender-bender. A Toyota Prius had hit a Prius, and that Prius hit an Accord, which hit an Accord, which hit a...
Texas Texting Study Finds Slower Driver Response Times
Oct 17 2011 // New findings from a Texas study show texting while driving is more dangerous than previously thought. Reading or writing a text message behind the wheel can more than double a driver’s reaction time, according to a...
Top 10 Excuses From Drivers Caught Using Phones
Oct 14 2011 // The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, a Canadian auto insurer, released last week a list of top excuses from local motorists when they were caught using handheld cellphones while driving. The insurer compiled the...
Mississippi Lawsuit Against Bar Over Drunk Driving Death Leads to $15M Judgment
Oct 7 2011 // A lawsuit and the state’s dram shop law have led to a $15 million judgment in Mississippi against Slippery Nick’s Saloon and Grill. However those who brought the suit do not expect to collect since the bar had...
