Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Driver ‘Inattentive’ in Bridge Crash; Review Ongoing
May 14 2015 // Texas Department of Public Safety says investigators are still trying to determine what caused a tractor-trailer to strike a partially constructed bridge over Interstate 35 in March, leading to the death of a...
Self-Driving Cars Getting Hit in California
May 12 2015 // Four of the nearly 50 self-driving cars now rolling around California have gotten into accidents since September, when the state began issuing permits for companies to test them on public roads. Two accidents happened...
Google Says Self-Driving Cars Blameless in 11 Accidents in 6 Years, 1.7M Miles
May 11 2015 // Google Inc. said its self-driving vehicles have been involved in 11 minor accidents in the six years they’ve been in testing, and the automobiles were never to blame for the incidents. All of the accidents during 1.7...
Oklahoma Texting While Driving Ban Signed by Governor
May 7 2015 // Gov. Mary Fallin added her signature to legislation that makes it illegal to text message while driving in Oklahoma and then issued a challenge to the state’s motorists. “Don’t text and drive in the state...
Driver Arrested Going 131 Mph on Arizona Freeway
May 7 2015 // Authorities say a man has been arrested for allegedly driving his sports car more than 131 mph on a Phoenix, Ariz. freeway. Arizona Department of Public Safety officials say 22-year-old Alejandro Barraza was taken into...
Report: More Distracted Drivers Than Ever on Pennsylvania Roads
May 5 2015 // Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel! A new report says more people in Pennsylvania are being caught for distracted driving than ever before. The report from the state’s court system says 1,410 drivers were cited for...
Car Crash Records Now Available Online in South Dakota
May 4 2015 // South Dakotans wanting to get copies of car crash reports can now find those records online. The state Department of Public safety says the new online system for state-reportable crash records has gone live. The new system...
RIMS Report: Uber Touts Ridesharing Insurance Solution
May 4 2015 // In the rapid rollout of mobile app-based ridesharing services that compete with traditional taxicabs and other urban transportation, taxi businesses have bristled over the higher insurance costs they must bear compared to...
FedEx Faces Wyoming Suits After Trucks Kill Nearby Drivers
May 4 2015 // Two lawsuits have been filed against FedEx Ground Package Systems claiming the shipping giant substantially contributed to the deaths of Cheyenne, Wyo., residents. The families of two people who died in a head-on collision...
New Mexico AG Says Uber, Lyft Drivers Need Drug Testing
May 1 2015 // Drivers of ridesharing services Lyft and Uber in New Mexico should face strict drug testing requirements like taxi drivers and keep detailed records of such tests, the state Attorney General Hector Balderas told regulators...
Oklahoma Ban on Texting and Driving Goes to Governor
Apr 30 2015 // Oklahoma is in line to become the 46th in the nation to pass a ban on texting and driving. A bill passed on April 29 by the House goes to Gov. Mary Fallin, who urged lawmakers in her State of the State speech in February...
Nevada Bill Would Limit Payouts for Uninsured Drivers in Crashes
Apr 29 2015 // Uninsured drivers could see potential payouts from car-crash lawsuits limited under a proposed Nevada law. Republican Assemblyman Pat Hickey of Reno is sponsoring AB7 and presented the measure this week to the Senate...
Uber, Lyft Balk at Fingerprinting Georgia Drivers
Apr 27 2015 // Popular ride-hailing firms like Uber and Lyft are fighting lawsuits in Atlanta and other cities from cab drivers, taxi and limousine companies claiming the techno upstarts are siphoning off passengers and profits by...
Vermont Lawmakers Weigh Roadside Spit Test to Detect Drugged Driving
Apr 23 2015 // Vermont is one of a growing number of states looking at following Colorado and Washington’s lead by legalizing marijuana, but there’s a problem. How can police identify those too stoned to drive? The Vermont...
Kansas Gov. Says ‘No’ to Expanded Uber Driver Regulation
Apr 22 2015 // Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has vetoed a bill that would have increased regulations on ridesharing companies like Uber, a decision that could face an override vote when the Legislature returns from its annual recess April...
Plymouth Rock Survey: 1 in 3 N.J. Drivers Report Having Texted While Driving
Apr 22 2015 // An annual study released this week by Plymouth Rock Assurance shows that 33 percent of New Jersey motorists surveyed admit to having read/texted messages while driving in the past. Plymouth Rock says that’s the...
FedEx Faces Wyoming Suits After Trucks Kill Nearby Drivers
Apr 21 2015 // Two lawsuits have been filed against FedEx Ground Package Systems claiming the shipping giant substantially contributed to the deaths of Cheyenne residents. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that the families of two...
New York State Police Launch Safety Campaign Aimed at Teen Drivers
Apr 20 2015 // New York State Police are launching a traffic safety campaign aimed at minimizing crashes involving teen drivers. “The Empty Chair” driving safety campaign starts Monday and runs through Friday. The empty chair...
Colorado Prosecutors Charge Uber Driver Accused of Attempted Break-In
Apr 20 2015 // Prosecutors have charged a Colorado Uber driver accused of trying to break into the home of a woman he drove to the airport. The Denver District Attorney’s Office announced in April that 51-year-old Gerald Montgomery...
Can I be Held Negligent if My Self-Driving Car Causes an Accident?
Apr 20 2015 // On the topic of automation, Frank Lloyd Wright said: “If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.” It is safe to assume that Mr. Wright had no idea how true his words would ring...
