Latest Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

31 Reported Dead, as Flash Floods Slam Turkey

Sep 11 2009 // The heaviest rainfall in at least eight decades sent flash floods barreling across a major highway and into busy business districts in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, on Wednesday, trapping factory workers and truck...

California Issues Regulations for Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance

Sep 10 2009 // California’s insurance commissioner, Steven Poizner, has issued final pay-as-you-drive regulations, which will enable insurers to offer consumers rates that are based on actual miles driven as opposed to estimated...

P/C Insurers Report Surge in Suspicious Claims

Sep 9 2009 // Property/casualty insurance companies report that the number of claims suspected of possible fraud has jumped 13 percent for the first half of this year compared to last year’s first six months. A review of...

Massachusetts Commissioner Caps Premium Increase for Riskiest Drivers

Sep 9 2009 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has laid out what she sees as the “fair” range of auto insurance premium increases for those drivers insured through the state’s residual market. In a...

Down Economy Plus Smarter, Safer Vehicles Help Reduce Death Toll

Sep 9 2009 // The death toll on the nation’s highways dropped in 2008 to 37,261, a 9.7 decrease from the 2007 total and the lowest level since 1961, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The trend continued in the...

Michigan High Court to Reconsider Auto Accident Victims’ Right to Sue

Sep 7 2009 // The Michigan Supreme Court has set the stage for reversing a 2004 precedent that restricts when people injured in auto accidents can sue for pain and suffering. In a 4-3 order, the court decided to reconsider the case of...

Man’s Best Friend

Sep 7 2009 // A friend of mine — or more accurately, a friend of my dog—became excited recently when he realized he could take advantage of the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. He had been wanting for...

AAU Comp Introduces Auto Repair Industry Program in California

Sep 3 2009 // AAU Comp, which launched in July this year, is introducing its first product, a workers compensation program for the auto repair and service industry that will be based out of its new location in El Segundo, Calif. The...

Marsh Expands GreenRoad Service to All Auto Fleet Clients

Sep 3 2009 // Marsh announced that it has expanded its relationship with the UK’s GreenRoad, a leader in improving driving behavior, “so that all Marsh’s UK brokerage clients will have the opportunity to obtain...

Study: 40 Years of Auto Safety Efforts Have Saved Lives, Prevented Injuries

Sep 3 2009 // Auto and traffic safety efforts over the past 40 years have significantly reduced the number of accident-related injuries and fatalities, according to an analysis of government data. The data shows a continuing drop in...

Japanese Agents Hope to Learn Best Practices from U.S. Agencies

Sep 2 2009 // The owners and producers of Japan’s estimated 300,000 insurance agencies can only dream of the success and freedom that the 40,000 independent agencies in the U.S. enjoy. But they can still learn best practices from...

Connecticut AG Wants Car Repair Practices Investigated

Sep 2 2009 // Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is urging his federal counterpart, Attorney General Eric Holder, to look into reports that some auto insurers improperly steer consumers toward certain body repair shops...

Nebraska High Court: Judge Must Explain Countrywide Insurance Ruling

Sep 1 2009 // A judge must explain to the Nebraska Supreme Court why he ordered a new trial in a multimillion dollar insurance dispute involving Florida and Omaha-based Countrywide Insurance Agency. In June 2008, the Supreme Court threw...

Louisiana Insurance Bait Car Nabs New Orleans Murder Suspect

Aug 27 2009 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says two men wanted in connection with a murder in New Orleans were captured after stealing a bait vehicle provided by the Department of Insurance Louisiana Automobile Theft...

California Sees Rise in Car Insurance Fraud Tied to Economy

Aug 27 2009 // California Department of Insurance commissioner Steve Poizner today announced in Los Angeles that recently compiled statistics show that financially desperate residents and scam artists may be committing more automobile...

Study: Buyers of Home, Auto Insurance Say They’re Happy with Insurers

Aug 25 2009 // Most consumers of auto and homeowners insurance seem to be happy with their insurers, says a new indsutry study. A new public opinion study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) reported that 91 percent of respondents...

New York Regulators Post Rules for Flex-Rate Personal Auto

Aug 25 2009 // The New York State Insurance Department has posted a notice of proposed regulations for flexible-rating on personal auto insurance. Flex-rating, which allows insurers to set pricing within a certain premium range, was last...

Michigan High Court to Reconsider Auto Accident Victims’ Right to Sue

Aug 24 2009 // The Michigan Supreme Court has set the stage for reversing a 2004 precedent that restricts when people injured in auto accidents can sue for pain and suffering. In a 4-3 order, the court decided to reconsider the case of...

State Auto Offering Coverage in Connecticut

Aug 21 2009 // The State Auto Insurance Cos. has introduced personal lines products in Connecticut. In Sept. 2007, the Columbus, Ohio-based insurer affiliated with the Patrons Group of Glastonbury, Connecticut “Our independent...

State Auto to Sell Insurance Software Subsidiary to NuGrowth

Aug 20 2009 // Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Financial Corporation, a super regional property and casualty insurance holding company, announced it will sell its Strategic Insurance Software (SIS) subsidiary to NuGrowth Solutions, a...