Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Illinois High Court Rules Against Insurer in Underinsured Motorist Case
Apr 5 2010 // The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that an appellate court was correct when it found that an insurance company cannot exclude occupants of an insured vehicle from underinsured motorists coverage (UIM). The high...
Prop. 17 Is a Bad Deal for California Motorists
Apr 5 2010 // California voters know all about private interest groups who use the ballot initiative process to make a naked grab for power. So they won’t be surprised that one insurance company is trying to pull a fast one over...
U.S. Fines Toyota $16M for Not Reporting ‘Sticky Pedal’ Defect
Apr 5 2010 // The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking the maximum civil penalty of $16.375 million against Toyota Motor Corp. for failing to notify the auto safety agency of the dangerous “sticky...
Island Insurance Lowers Personal Auto Rates 3.5%
Apr 2 2010 // Honolulu-based Island Insurance has lowered its personal auto insurance rates an average of up to 3.5 percent, depending upon coverage limits, rating company and territory.The reduced rates will affect personal auto...
Michigan Auto Insurance Assessment Going Up 14%
Apr 2 2010 // The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association assessment to insurance companies will be $143.09 per insured vehicle effective July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The current MCCA assessment is $124.89– which is about $20...
Liberty Mutual Refunding Massachusetts Motorcycle Premiums
Apr 1 2010 // Attorney General Martha Coakley says Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. has sent out over $3 million in motorcycle insurance refunds to roughly 9,000 Massachusetts residents the company allegedly overcharged for collision and...
MetLife Auto & Home Adds Tax-Related Identity Theft Service
Apr 1 2010 // MetLife Auto & Home has enhanced its identity protection services to include assistance for tax-related identity theft. The assistance is offered as part of the company’s Identity Protection Services provided to...
Court: Michigan Teen Should Have Gone to Assigned Claims Plan
Mar 31 2010 // A Michigan teenager hit and injured by a U.S Postal Service truck while riding her bike has been denied benefits under a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling. The court ruled that her source of relief was not the courts but the...
Montgomery Offers Commercial Fleet Technology Service in Florida
Mar 31 2010 // Montgomery Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Group regional operation, is now providing Onboard Advisor for commercial fleets in Florida. Onboard Advisor is a fleet management solution that helps companies increase fleet safety...
U.S. Seeks Permanent Ban on Texting by Bus, Truck Drivers
Mar 31 2010 // U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has proposed a federal rule that would to specifically prohibit texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers. The proposed rule would make permanent an interim ban...
Mississippi Insurance Chief Hopes Rural Fire Truck Program Continues
Mar 30 2010 // There’s no such thing as too much fire protection for a rural state such as Mississippi, says Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney. Chaney was among dozens of co-sponsors on a 1995 bill that created the Rural Fire...
Michigan House Backs Repeal of Motorcycle Helmet Law
Mar 29 2010 // The Michigan House has passed a bill that would let motorcycle riders 21 and older travel without helmets, despite the threat of a veto from Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The Democrat-led House passed repeal on a 63-46 vote. The...
Georgia Senate Revives Pickup Truck Seat Belt Bill
Mar 26 2010 // The Georgia Senate this week revived and approved a proposal that would force pickup truck drivers to wear their seat belts. The bill passed with a vote of 45-2. Bill sponsor Sen. Don Thomas, a physician and Republican...
Study: Road Woes Cost North Carolina Drivers $1,350 a Year
Mar 26 2010 // North Carolina’s big-city motorists are losing nearly on average the cost of a tank of gas every week to pay for their troubles from pot holes, longer waits in traffic and perilous roads. A national transportation...
South Dakota: Insured Drivers Covered Even If Struck When Pedestrians
Mar 26 2010 // South Dakota Division of Insurance Director Merle Scheiber is warning property/casualty insurers that auto policy forms that restrict the types of motor vehicles for which coverage may apply when an insured is struck as a...
Maryland House Approves Auto Liability Insurance Hike
Mar 25 2010 // Maryland drivers would likely see their car insurance payments increase under a bill backed by the state House. Maryland’s House of Delegates voted 97 to 36 Tuesday to raise the minimum amount of auto liability...
New York Police Agree Driver Error Caused Toyota Crash
Mar 24 2010 // A New York housekeeper who reported that her boss’ Toyota Prius accelerated on its own and wouldn’t brake as she hurtled toward a stone wall apparently had her foot on the gas pedal the entire time, according...
American Collectors Insurance Enters Hawaii
Mar 24 2010 // American Collectors Insurance, a provider of specialty insurance for collector vehicles and collectibles, has expanded to its 50th state by offering collector-vehicle insurance coverage in Hawaii. American Collectors,...
Illinois Supreme Court Rules Against Insurer in Underinsured Motorist Case
Mar 22 2010 // The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that an appellate court was correct when it found that an insurance company cannot exclude occupants of an insured vehicle from underinsured motorists coverage (UIM). The high...
It Figures
Mar 22 2010 // 4.6% Nebraska’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6 percent in January, still less than half the national rate of 9.7 percent, according to state officials. The preliminary December rate of 4.7 percent...
