Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cell Phone, Other Distractions Greater Threat to Teen Drivers
Jan 3 2014 // Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multitask at higher frequency rates – dialing cell phones, eating, and talking to passengers – and therefore...
U.S., Automakers Pursue Drunk Driver Detection Systems
Jan 2 2014 // The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has extended for five years its agreement with automakers to continue researching advanced alcohol detection technology that...
Texas Tries Again to Put Drunk-Driving Teen Behind Bars
Dec 19 2013 // Texas prosecutors are trying a second time to imprison a teen who was sentenced to 10 years’ probation for drunkenly driving his truck into four pedestrians, killing them all. Tarrant County District Attorney Joe...
Tougher Drunk Driving Laws on Way in Colorado
Dec 19 2013 // Colorado drunk driving laws are about to get tougher in 2014. Starting on Jan. 1, any Colorado driver who refuses a sobriety test will be branded a persistent drunk driver. If they want their driver’s license back...
N.Y. Approves Esurance Program Aimed at Preventing Teen Texting and Driving
Dec 18 2013 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration announced it has approved Esurance’s new telematics program designed to help prevent teens from texting while driving. This new voluntary program, called...
One-Fifth of Drinkers Admit Driving When Near or Over Alcohol Limit
Dec 18 2013 // A fifth of U.S. motorists who drink say they’ve driven at least once in the past year when they thought their alcohol level might’ve been close to the legal limit or above it, a safety group said. About 19.5...
Alaska Snowmobile Driver Charged With Felony DUI
Dec 16 2013 // A 29-year-old Wasilla, Alaska man suspected of driving a snowmobile down the Parks Highway has been charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol. Alaska State Troopers say Eric Hunter was arrested Wednesday...
West Virginia Has Ticketed 286 Distracted Drivers Since July
Dec 13 2013 // More than 280 motorists have been cited for distracted driving violations in West Virginia since a law went into effect July 1. The law makes using a handheld cellphone while driving a primary offense. It also bans texting...
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts ‘Soft Insurance Rate Landing’
Dec 12 2013 // U.S. property/casualty insurers’ and brokers’ operating earnings are expected to modestly improve in 2014, and the overall insurance rate increases will “probably moderate into 2015,” said...
Red Rock Insurance to Provide Temporary Coverage for Oklahoma Uninsured Drivers
Dec 5 2013 // Red Rock Insurance Co., an Oklahoma-based business, has been chosen to provide liability coverage for offenders whose license plates were seized for failure to carry state-mandated auto insurance, the Oklahoma Insurance...
California Woman Ticketed For Driving With Google Glasses
Dec 5 2013 // A California woman has pleaded not guilty to what is believed to be the first traffic citation alleging a motorist was using Google’s computer-in-an-eyeglass. The device known as Google Glass, not yet widely...
South Carolina’s Greenville Eyes Driver Cellphone Ban
Dec 5 2013 // Greenville, South Carolina is considering a ban on any use of a cellphone in a driver’s hand. The city has created a task force to look at driving safety. Mayor Pro Tem David Sudduth said Monday they determined just...
New Oklahoma Law Allows Seizure of License Plates from Uninsured Drivers
Dec 2 2013 // Law enforcement officers in Oklahoma will soon have the option to seize license plates from uninsured drivers and assign temporary insurance under a new law passed this year by the Legislature. The law went into effect...
Tennessee Driving Records Now Available Online
Nov 27 2013 // State officials are giving Tennessee residents an online option to access driving records. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security has launched an online service that allows people to download or print copies of...
$300K Awarded to 2 Terminated Ohio Truck Drivers
Nov 26 2013 // Under the terms of a consent judgment, a now defunct North Canton, Ohio-based company, Star Air Inc., and owner Robert R. Custer, will pay two Ohio truck drivers $302,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department...
Wyoming City Weighs Ban On Cellphone Use While Driving
Nov 21 2013 // The Jackson Town Council is considering a ban on cellphone conversations while driving that could start in Wyoming town in mid-December. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported the council gave preliminary approval to...
Drowsy Driving a Leading Cause of Ohio Crashes
Nov 20 2013 // State statistics analyzed by a newspaper show injury crashes blamed on drowsy driving are on the rise in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reports that 1,415 injury crashes last year in Ohio were attributed to...
D.C. Mayor Signs Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Nov 19 2013 // Starting next year, people living in the nation’s capital who don’t have legal permission to reside in the United States will be able to get driver’s licenses. Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray signed a bill...
Ohio Dump Truck Driver Repays More Than $19K in Workers’ Comp Benefits
Nov 18 2013 // An Ohio man was sentenced and repaid more than $19,000 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) for working while receiving workers’ comp benefits. BWC began investigating Harry Livingston after...
Washington Driver Blames ‘Gorilla’ For Causing Crash
Nov 18 2013 // A Spokane, Wash., woman who wound up with a totaled car, a broken collarbone and a $550 ticket blames her post-Halloween crash on a person in a gorilla suit who she says jumped in front of her car. Hailey Wulz said she...
