Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Missouri Businesses Sue to Stop Fee Increases on Vehicle Records
May 12 2008 // Three businesses sued on Friday, May 9th to halt a state fee increase for obtaining driver’s license and vehicle records, claiming the higher fee violates Missouri’s open-records law as well the state and...
Alabama Legislature Raises Auto Liability Insurance Minimums
May 12 2008 // The Alabama Legislature is ready to raise the minimum amount of auto liability insurance that motorists must purchase. The current limits under Alabama’s mandatory insurance law are $20,000 for a single injury or...
South Dakota High Court Says Auto Insurance Covers Gun Accident
May 9 2008 // The South Dakota Supreme Court says an auto insurance policy covers injuries caused when a rifle accidentally fired in a pickup being used to drive deer hunters to the field. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the ankle...
Louisiana House Panel OKs Hike in Car Insurance Minimum
May 9 2008 // In a move that insurers say could lead to Louisiana having the highest auto insurance liability rates in the nation, a House of Representatives committee has approved HB 1312, which would raise the minimum insurance...
Missouri Lawmaker Balks at Driver’s License Records Fee Increase
May 8 2008 // A leading House Republican said Tuesday, May 6, he will try before the legislative session ends next week to reverse a Department of Revenue decision to increase fees charged to access driver’s license...
Mass. Cuts High Risk Exemption for New Auto Insurers to 2 Years
May 8 2008 // New carriers in the Massachusetts auto insurance market will be exempt from high risk assignments for their first two years under an amended rule approved by Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes. The original...
Louisiana House Committee OKs Repeal of Motorcycle Helmet Law
May 8 2008 // The Louisiana House Transportation committee has voted to approve a bill under which the state would stop forcing adult motorcyclists to wear helmets. Instead bikers would be required to undergo safety training before...
Mass. Agents Take Aim at Progressive Online; Insurer Defends Site
May 6 2008 // Independent agents in Massachusetts have charged that Progressive Insurance, which began selling auto insurance online in the state May 1, is skirting state regulations and misleading consumers with its Web site quoting...
High Risk Pass for New Mass. Auto Insurers Irks Established Players
May 5 2008 // Massachusetts auto insurers have been operating under a new managed competition auto insurance system for only a month now but a battle is well underway over how to treat newcomers to the state. The Patrick administration...
Richardson Joins State Auto’s Middle Market and Large Account Unit
May 5 2008 // Todd Richardson joined State Auto Insurance Company’s Austin, Texas-based Middle Market and Large Account (SAMMI) facility. Richardson brings more than 19 years of experience to his new role as a SAMMI account...
Established Mass. Auto Insurers Decry ‘Free Ride’ For Incoming Players
May 5 2008 // Existing carriers complain that plan to give 3-year high risk exemption to newcomers creates uneven playing field The Patrick administration is pushing a rule that exempts new auto insurers in Massachusetts from having to...
Auto Exempted From Colorado Fair Accountable Insurance Rates Act
May 5 2008 // After much testimony and deliberation on Colorado House Bill 1389, the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee has amended a controversial bill that insurance associations said would have imposed a prior approval...
Car Crash Deaths Increase Starting at Age 12, Study Finds
May 5 2008 // Child passengers ages 12 to 16 are more likely to die in a car crash than younger children, according to a study released in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. That risk increases with each teenage...
Court Denies Allstate’s Request to Avoid Rate Decrease
May 5 2008 // A San Francisco judge has refused Allstate’s request to block a 15.9 percent automobile insurance rate decrease. Thus, the California Department of Insurance said the rate decrease should take effect immediately, and...
Colorado Motorcycle Fatalities Reach Record High
May 5 2008 // Motorcycle fatalities are on the rise in Colorado, doubling from 45 in 1995 to an all-time high of 90 deaths in 2007, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). In the past five years (2003-2007) in...
National Insurance Crime Bureau: West Has Highest Vehicle Theft Rates
May 5 2008 // The West has the highest per capita rates for vehicle thefts, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which ranked the top metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) with the highest per capita rate for vehicle thefts...
N.Y. Car Repair Shops Can Rebate Deductibles
May 5 2008 // Allowing car repair facilities to pay all or part of a deductible to an insured does not constitute a rebate prohibited under New York law, lawyers for the state’s insurance department have decided. The reasoning?...
Industry Douses Consumer Group Praise for Prior Approval of Auto Rates
May 5 2008 // A nationwide consumer study of automobile insurance regulation says that rates have risen more slowly over the past two decades in the 15 states that require insurers to receive advance approval of rate increases from the...
How to Successfully Market yourself as a Car Insurance Agent
May 2 2008 // Becoming a successful car insurance agent has a lot to do with the marketing plan that you have in place. If this is something that you take seriously, you will find that your business is growing at a higher pace than ever...
Colorado Senate OKs Requiring Car Insurers to Offer Medical Coverage
May 2 2008 // Colorado drivers would be nudged into buying medical coverage on their car insurance policies under a proposal backed by the state Senate on April 29. Under the bill, insurance companies would have to include $5,000 in...
