Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Truck Driver Gets 2 Years in Prison for Crash That Killed 5
Aug 25 2017 // A Georgia truck driver has been sentenced to prison in a 2015 highway collision that killed five people after the trucker fell asleep at the wheel. A State Court judge in Savannah sentenced 61-year-old David Jerald Gibbons...
Regulators Under Pressure to Develop Rules of Road Minus Drivers
Aug 24 2017 // When the U.S. government finally got around to regulating auto safety in 1967, it insisted that every car have seat belts and that the steering column be engineered to absorb impact so it wouldn’t spear the...
Texas Researchers Testing System that May Help Prevent Wrong-Way Driving
Aug 22 2017 // Kevin Balke turned his SUV southeastward, checked his instruments and confirmed he was ready. Nearly a mile of concrete stood before him with plenty of room to run, but he wouldn’t need all of it to prove his point...
Driving Distraction, Eye Safety Concerns Cast Shadow on Eclipse Excitement
Aug 21 2017 // Sold out hotels, viewing parties and special media coverage will culminate today, when a total solar eclipse will be visible across the entire U.S. But along with the excitement comes safety concerns, according to various...
GOP Facing Resistance to State Bills Shielding Drivers Who Hit Protesters
Aug 18 2017 // Republican lawmakers in six states have pushed this year for legal protections for motorists who hit protesters blocking traffic. Fairly or not, they’re facing an intense backlash now that violent images of a car...
Tesla Developing Self-Driving Long Haul, Electric Truck
Aug 15 2017 // Tesla Inc. is developing a long-haul, electric semi-truck that can drive itself and move in “platoons” that automatically follow a lead vehicle, and is getting closer to testing a prototype, according to an...
Uber Improves Work Conditions for UK Drivers Including Tipping via App
Aug 14 2017 // Taxi app Uber will improve conditions for its British drivers with changes including in-app tipping, after criticism from lawmakers and unions for not giving them more rights. Drivers for Uber, food courier Deliveroo and...
Driver-Assist Technology Could Lead to Deteriorating Driver Skills, Researchers Say
Aug 11 2017 // If a car can hit the brakes in an emergency and check blind spots, will that make worse drivers? Increasingly, automakers are worrying it may. Driver-assist technology that keeps cars in their lanes, maintains a safe...
Trump Administration Drops Rule to Address Truck Driver, Train Engineer Fatigue
Aug 7 2017 // The Trump administration is halting a year-old effort to seek better ways to diagnose truckers and railroad workers who have sleep apnea, a health condition linked to deadly accidents. Two agencies in the Department of...
How to Catch Commercial Auto Use Fraud
Aug 7 2017 // Pulling the wool over the insurance company’s eyes seems like a victimless crime. After all, if a few dollars are saved by saying a car is a personal vehicle instead of the commercial work truck it really is, who...
2 New Driving Laws Among Some 200 New Laws for Louisiana in August
Aug 3 2017 // Two new driving laws kicked in for Louisiana this month. Also children can bring sunscreen to school without a doctor’s note, minors face tougher restrictions for getting an abortion and colleges can’t ask...
Teen Drivers Become More Daring After Few Years Behind Wheel
Aug 3 2017 // U.S. teenagers are more reckless after their first few years of driving, often becoming overconfident in their abilities and putting themselves at higher risk for accidents, a new study shows. More than half of high school...
Arizona Awarding Grant to Help Combat Wrong-Way Driving
Jul 31 2017 // The Arizona State Transportation Board is poised to announce a project grant to a company that will work on a system to reduce the risk of wrong-way driving. The board’s decision will come after Gov. Doug Ducey...
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...
