Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Idaho Falls Considers Rule Banning Cell Phones While Driving
Oct 15 2007 // The Idaho Falls City Council is considering a rule that would make it illegal to talk on the phone while driving if it interferes with safely controlling the vehicle. The rule would also ban other unsafe activities, like...
N.Y. to issue driving licenses for illegal immigrants
Oct 8 2007 // New York State officials say a plan to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants with valid foreign passports will enhance security by creating records of their identities. But critics say those records could...
Minn. Court: Warrant Needed for Blood Tests in Drunk Driving Cases
Oct 5 2007 // The Minnesota Court of Appeals decided this week that police should have gotten a warrant before ordering a blood test from a suspected drunken driver in Dakota County, a ruling that could add extra steps for police going...
Main Street Group Drives Predictive Modeling Auto into Conn., Pa.
Oct 3 2007 // The Main Street America Group has launched its Personal Auto MVP (multivariate program) in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Personal Auto MVP is Main Street America’s proprietary rating program designed to provide...
Conn. Drivers Ignore Cell Phone Ban
Oct 2 2007 // More people in Connecticut may be getting snagged by police for chatting on their hand-held cell phones while driving, but state lawmakers worry that not everyone is hanging up. “We are seeing more and more drivers...
Calif. Drivers Could Face More Extensive Memory, Reflex Testing
Oct 2 2007 // Down the road, getting a California driver’s license could get a lot tougher. The state is considering using more extensive tests to evaluate a driver’s memory, reflexes and vision to identify people who...
W. Va. Commissioner Tells Drivers to Watch for Wildlife, Avoid Crashes
Sep 28 2007 // The Insurance Commissioner of West Virginia said an annual study estimates that just over 21,000 deer-vehicle claims were presented last year to insurers of West Virginia drivers. Commissioner Jane L. Cline said along with...
Mass. Weighs Getting Tougher with Road Rage, High-Speed Drivers
Sep 27 2007 // Road rage incidents are driving some lawmakers to get tougher on angry and reckless motorists. The Legislature’s transportation committee will consider a bill designed to crack down on a range of bad behavior on the...
Hanover Offering Discounts in Mass. for Advanced Driver Training Course
Sep 27 2007 // As Massachusetts prepares to move to a more competitve auto insurance system, The Hanover Insurance Group announced it will offer discounts on an advanced driver training course for its policyholders and their family...
N.Y. Unveils Plan to Give Illegal Immigrants Drivers’ Licenses
Sep 24 2007 // New York State officials say a plan to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants with valid foreign passports will enhance security by creating records of their identities. But critics say those records could...
Arizona Moves Closer to Ban on Texting While Driving
Sep 20 2007 // Phoenix City Council members want both hands on the wheel instead of texting and driving. The council is moving closer to becoming the first city in Arizona and among the first in the nation to ban text-messaging while...
Man Found Guilty of Manslaugher Under New Mass. Drunk Driving Statute
Sep 19 2007 // A Charlestown, Mass. man has been found guilty of manslaughter by motor vehicle and other charges in the death of a 16-year-old girl last year. Twenty-nine-year-old Robert Getz was sentenced to five years in prison on the...
New Maine Laws Affect Teens, Drivers, Bicyclists, Elders and Employers
Sep 19 2007 // Like other driving instructors across Maine, Dwight Hawkins has a new lesson to add to his course this fall: If you’re under 18 and behind the wheel, lose the cell phone. As of Sept. 20, a new Maine law will prohibit...
Minn. Crackdown on DWI Drivers Nets 2,270 Tickets
Sep 17 2007 // A statewide crackdown on people driving while intoxicated resulted in at least 2,270 arrests, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety reported. More than 400 agencies across the state participated in the...
Calif. Governor Signs Law to Ban Teen Cell Phone Use While Driving
Sep 14 2007 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed SB 33 by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, banning teenage drivers from using all electronic devices — such as cell phones, pagers and laptops — while behind the...
Calif. Bills, Laws Target Teen Drivers’ Cell Phones and Text Messages
Sep 11 2007 // Narin Leininger knows about the risks of talking on a cell phone or sending text messages while driving. The 16-year-old high school junior says he’d only use his phone behind the wheel in an emergency — a flat...
Mich. Sets New Requirements for Drivers Training for Teens
Sep 10 2007 // Every state has some form of graduated driver’s licensing. It typically restricts nighttime driving and bans teen passengers until drivers rack up hours of driving experience. But Michigan Secretary of State Terri...
Texas Uninsured Drivers Targeted Under New $6 Million Program
Sep 5 2007 // Texans driving without insurance may have a harder time dodging a ticket when the state unveils a $6 million database in January that will give police immediate access to updated coverage information. The Texas Financial...
One-Third of Parent Drivers Unsure on Child Passenger Restraints
Sep 5 2007 // When it comes to properly restraining their children in vehicles, many parents are in the dark, according to a survey by GMAC Insurance. The survey found that approximately one in three licensed parents could not correctly...
New Law Allows Texas Drivers Flexibility on Paying Penalty Surcharges
Sep 4 2007 // A new state law enables the Texas Department of Public Safety to offer more flexibility for the nearly 775,000 drivers who haven’t paid state surcharges for driving violations. The law, which took effect Saturday, is...
