Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Japan’s Automakers Adding Safety Technology for Often-Isolated Older Drivers
Jan 21 2021 // Automakers in Japan, where almost 30% of the population is 65 or older, are taking the lead on adapting cars so the nation’s legions of elderly drivers can feel more confident — and be safer — behind the...
2 W. Virginia Bus Drivers Who Attended Trump Rally Sue Over Suspension
Jan 15 2021 // Two West Virginia school bus drivers who were suspended for attending a rally for President Donald Trump in the nation’s capital have been cleared of wrongdoing following hearings, an attorney said...
Bus Driver Placed on Probation After Plea in Fatal Accident
Jan 15 2021 // A Port Authority bus driver has been placed on probation for three years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a University of Pittsburgh student struck by the bus she was driving a year...
Some Rideshare Drivers Sue Over California Ballot Measure
Jan 14 2021 // Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit Tuesday to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job...
Driving Declined But Traffic Deaths Rose 13% After Lockdowns Ended
Jan 14 2021 // U.S. traffic deaths jumped dramatically after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020, rising 13.1% in the three months ending Sept. 30 to the highest rate since 2005 despite a decline in driving, auto safety regulators said...
Delivery Driver Killed in Drywall Accident at Florida Home Depot
Jan 13 2021 // A delivery driver was killed Sunday night when a load of construction materials fell on him at a Home Depot store in Florida, police said. News outlets report that a load of drywall struck 47-year-old Cyrenus Leroy Amon...
Wisconsin Man Charged with 18th Drunk Driving Offense
Jan 13 2021 // A 73-year-old Green Bay, Wisconsin, man has been charged with his 18th drunken driving offense, after a crash on Jan. 8 that took out power lines and caused an outage. Wallace Bowers had 17 prior operating while...
Personal Auto Insurance Rates Fall Across the County: Value Penguin
Jan 8 2021 // Auto insurance rates are falling across the country an average 1.7 percent, with drivers in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana seeing the biggest drops of more than 4 percent. This is the first time rate have...
Idaho Distracted Driving Law Kicks in, Insurers May Consider Citations in Rates
Jan 4 2021 // Starting Jan. 1, drivers violating Idaho’s hands-free device, distracted driving law risked getting a citation. The law has been in effect since July 1, but Idaho State Police troopers have been issuing warnings to...
Nuro OK’d in California to Charge for Self-Driving Services
Dec 29 2020 // Robotics company Nuro this week received the first-ever permit to commercially deploy its self-driving vehicles in California, allowing the Silicon Valley firm to charge clients for its driverless delivery service. Relying...
Drunk Driving Convictions, Related Offenses Down in Wisconsin
Dec 29 2020 // Yearly convictions for drunken driving and other related offenses dropped by nearly 18,000 in Wisconsin between 2004 and 2018, according to a report from the state Legislative Reference Bureau. Alcohol-related fatal...
Top Performing Auto Insurers During COVID and What’s Driving Customer Behavior
Dec 16 2020 // Spurred by a combination of financial hardship, a decrease in miles driven and a general lack of awareness of the historic relief efforts the industry initiated in 2020, auto insurance customer loyalty has given way to a...
Holding a Phone While Driving Will Soon Be Illegal in Virginia
Dec 14 2020 // It will soon be illegal in Virginia to hold a phone while driving. WAVY-TV reported that the new state law takes effect in January. Authorities say that making the practice illegal and enforceable is an important step...
Uber Asks States to Prioritize Delivery, Rideshare Drivers for COVID Vaccine
Dec 10 2020 // Uber Technologies Inc. on Thursday sent letters to the governors of all U.S. states, asking for its ride-hail and food delivery drivers to get early access to COVID-19 vaccines as essential workers. The company also said...
Authorities Target Rise in Road Rage, Aggressive Driving in Houston-Area
Dec 9 2020 // Houston-area authorities on Dec. 8 announced a new task force to combat a more than 30% rise in road rage incidents this year, an increase that officials are blaming in part on the ongoing stress during the coronavirus...
Automakers Unveil Steps for U.S. to Speed Up Self-Driving Vehicle Deployment
Dec 3 2020 // A group representing major automakers is unveiling a detailed proposal Wednesday aimed at making it easier to deploy thousands of self-driving vehicles in the coming years, according to a document seen by Reuters. The...
Report: Despite Less Driving, Auto Fatalities Have Risen in Wisconsin
Dec 2 2020 // Auto fatalities are up in Wisconsin despite there being fewer people on the road due to the coronavirus pandemic, a report released on Dec. 1 by the Wisconsin Policy Forum found. The report examined state crash data from...
New Mexico Cracking Down on Drunken Drivers
Nov 30 2020 // New Mexico authorities will be cracking down on drunken drivers throughout the month of December. State police issued the warning this week, saying sobriety checkpoints will be set up around the state. Officers also will...
Texas Reported 925 Traffic Deaths Involving Unbuckled Drivers, Passengers in 2019
Nov 19 2020 // While the majority of Texans, around 91%, use seat belts while driving or riding as a passenger in moving vehicles, too many unbelted people continue to die in traffic accidents, the state’s transportation department...
Despite Warnings and Laws, Drivers Continue to Be Distracted by Phones
Nov 18 2020 // Despite education programs and state laws, phone-based driving distraction is still on the rise—and is likely responsible for far more accidents than widely reported, says a new study from Cambridge Mobile Telematics...
