Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Rules Again: No Jail for Texas ‘Affluenza’ Teen in Fatal Car Wreck
Feb 7 2014 // A judge has ordered a Texas teenager who was sentenced to 10 years’ probation in a drunken-driving crash that killed four people to go to a rehabilitation facility paid for by his parents. Judge Jean Boyd on Feb. 5...
The ‘Switching’ Economy: Consumers Open to Buying Insurance from Google, Amazon, Verizon
Feb 7 2014 // New global research finds that as many as two-thirds (67 percent) of insurance customers would consider purchasing insurance products from organizations other than insurers, including 23 percent who would consider buying...
Tower Group CEO, Chairman Lee Resigns; Fox, Van Gorder to Succeed
Feb 7 2014 // Michael H. Lee, Tower Group International Ltd. chairman, president and chief executive officer, has resigned from the company and the company’s board of directors to pursue personal and other career opportunities,...
Senator Presses Tech Firms, Car Makers to Develop Distracted Driving Solutions
Feb 7 2014 // A top U.S. senator is vowing to pursue rules governing in-vehicle use of mobile phones and Internet-connected entertainment systems unless automakers and technology companies do more to reduce driver distractions. Senate...
Allstate Sees No Need for Big Homeowners Rate Increases
Feb 6 2014 // Allstate Corp. aims to grow its share of the U.S. home and auto insurance markets without the need for “abnormally large” rate increases, its CEO said, after the company’s profit more than doubled in the...
North Carolina Auto Insurers Seek No Rate Change
Feb 6 2014 // North Carolina auto insurers say no rate increase is needed for auto insurance policies in the coming year. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said the Department of Insurance has received the annual auto insurance rate...
Towers Watson Releases Analytical Scoring Model for Auto Insurers
Feb 5 2014 // Towers Watson, a global professional services company, has launched DriveAbility 2.0 Score, a new analytical scoring model designed for the automobile insurance industry. DriveAbility 2.0 Score includes a GPS version with...
U.S. to Require Cars to Have ‘Talking’ Technology to Prevent Accidents
Feb 3 2014 // U.S. regulators will propose rules before President Barack Obama leaves office requiring vehicle- to-vehicle communications systems in new cars, which advocates said may aid safety more than seat belts and air...
Insurer Group: Texas Auto, Homeowner Complaints at a Record Low
Feb 3 2014 // In 2013, Texas drivers and homeowners filed the fewest number of complaints against their insurance companies since the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) began keeping records, the Insurance Council of Texas...
Alabama Bill Raises Penalties for Drunk Boaters to Same As for Car Drivers
Feb 3 2014 // The Alabama Senate is trying to increase the penalties for alcohol-related boating deaths to the same as deaths caused by drunken car drivers. The Senate voted 18-1 last week for a bill to equalize the penalties. The...
U.S. to Propose Standards for Talking Cars
Feb 3 2014 // U.S. regulators will take a step toward making talking cars a reality today, as Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is expected to propose standards for vehicle-to-vehicle communications that could prevent crashes. The...
Esurance Begins Selling Auto Insurance In West Virginia
Jan 30 2014 // Online seller Esurance is now offering car insurance in West Virginia. In addition to state-required liability coverage, Esurance provides optional auto insurance coverage options including: CarMatch Rental Coverage, which...
N.J. Commissioner Offers Insurance Purchasing Tips for Small Businesses
Jan 30 2014 // Making the right insurance choices can have significant impact on the small business owner’s operation costs. With that in mind, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski offered some...
Austin Insurance Professionals Hike Fundraising Goal; State Auto Offers Challenge
Jan 29 2014 // With an original goal of raising $300,000 for the United Way of Greater Austin, the response from area insurance professionals was so successful during the first six months of the campaign that the Insurance Industry...
What Consumer Credit Data Reveals About Auto Insurance Shoppers
Jan 29 2014 // Customers with lower credit-based insurance scores shop most frequently while consumers with the highest insurance scores are less likely than the general population to shop for new auto insurance. Also, according to the...
Oil Train Catastrophe Risk Weighs on Insurers: Kemp
Jan 28 2014 // In the event of a mass-casualty accident involving the derailment of a crude-carrying train in a densely populated urban area, who would be responsible for the compensation for deaths, injuries, damage to property and...
Part II – Reinsurance: Emerging Markets and Risks – the Road Ahead
Jan 27 2014 // As detailed in Part I, the reinsurance industry faces the task of partially reinventing itself to expand in those sectors where it can achieve growth. Property catastrophe coverage isn’t off the table, but it’s...
Frat Members Sued Over Death at Yale-Harvard Game
Jan 27 2014 // Dozens of current and former members of a fraternity at Yale University are being sued over a deadly tailgating crash at the 2011 Yale-Harvard football game in New Haven, Conn. A U-Haul truck carrying beer kegs heading to...
Autonomous Vehicle Testing Regulations for California Coming Soon
Jan 27 2014 // If you think Google when you think about autonomous vehicles driving the streets, you’re leaving out the rest of the players in what some see as the future of the auto industry. If fact, there are enough players in...
State Farm Raising Auto Insurance Rates in Louisiana
Jan 27 2014 // State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, which covers about one in every three cars in Louisiana, is raising insurance rates for drivers. The company announced that the increases will average 3.4 percent, starting Feb. 17....
