Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Labor Commissioner Sues Gig Car Wash for Misclassifying Workers
Jul 20 2020 // The Labor Commissioner’s Office has filed a lawsuit against a gig-economy car wash company in Southern California for violating labor laws by misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Mobile Wash Inc. of...
Governor Signs Missouri Bill Gutting Helmet Requirement for Motorcyclists
Jul 16 2020 // Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has signed a bill into law that will waive the requirement that all motorcyclists wear helmets. The new law takes effect Aug. 28 and will exempt motorcycle riders who are at least 26 years old....
Wisconsin Worker Struck by Commercial Truck in Construction Zone Dies
Jul 15 2020 // A construction worker was struck and killed by a commercial truck along a highway in Wisconsin’s Columbia County, according to sheriff’s officials. The 29-year-old man was working in a construction zone on...
Maryland Auto Executive Director McCurdy Retires, Reflects on 38-Year Career
Jul 15 2020 // When Mark McCurdy informed Maryland Auto Insurance’s Board of Trustees in July 2019 of his intention to retire this year, he never imagined that the few months ahead of his retirement would involve leading the...
412 Motorcyclists Died on Texas Roads Last Year, Officials Say
Jul 13 2020 // Texas transportation officials say 412 motorcyclists were killed and more than 1,800 were seriously injured on the state’s roads in 2019. Acknowledging that on average, one motorcyclist dies every day on Texas roads,...
California Labor Commissioner Sues Gig Car Wash for Misclassifying Workers
Jul 13 2020 // The Labor Commissioner’s Office has filed a lawsuit against a gig-economy car wash company in Southern California for violating labor laws by misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Mobile Wash Inc. of...
National Collector Car Show Goes Virtual
Jul 13 2020 // To celebrate National Collector Car Day, specialty insurer American Modern Insurance Group will be hosting an online show to pick the best classic cars and trucks and hot rods. Collector car owners can visit the American...
Allianz Acquires P/C, Auto Insurer from Brazil’s SulAmérica for Nearly $600M
Jul 13 2020 // Allianz has finalized the acquisition of the automobile and other property & casualty business from SulAmérica in Brazil. This follows the announcement of the deal on August 23, 2019. The transaction enlarges the...
Traffic Cameras Could Help Reduce Racism in Traffic Enforcement: Opinion
Jul 13 2020 // Speed cameras made their U.S. debut in 1986 in Galveston County, Texas. The Swiss-made devices, dubbed “PhotoCops” by the local company that lent them to police departments in exchange for a cut of the ticket...
State Auto Extends CEO LaRocco’s Contract
Jul 10 2020 // State Auto Financial Corp’s board of directors has extended the contract of President and CEO Mike LaRocco for an extra 12 months, citing the need for “stability and continuity” in the face of...
Texas Communities to Use $12M in Grants to Combat Vehicle Crimes
Jul 9 2020 // Texas suffers from more than $1 billion in losses from motor vehicle crime each year, according to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA), a division of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. To help Texans...
There’s Still Work to Do Addressing Ethics in Autonomous Vehicles
Jul 9 2020 // There’s a fairly large flaw in the way that programmers are currently addressing ethical concerns related to artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Namely, existing approaches don’t account...
Allstate to Buy National General for $4 Billion, Growing Auto, Independent Agent Business
Jul 8 2020 // U.S. Insurer Allstate Corp. said on Tuesday it will buy National General Holdings Corp. for about $4 billion in cash, scaling up its auto insurance business at a time when the coronavirus has crushed traffic on roads and...
State Farm to Further Decrease Auto Insurance Rates in Louisiana
Jul 6 2020 // State Farm Insurance Co. has been approved for an overall auto insurance rate decrease of 9.6% in Louisiana, the state insurance department reported. State Farm’s rate reduction most recently approved by Louisiana...
Commercial Auto Insurers Report Worst Losses in Decade: AM Best
Jul 6 2020 // The U.S. commercial automobile insurance segment’s underwriting losses deepened to $4.0 billion in 2019, the segment’s worst loss in 10 years and a continuation of a decade-long trend of worsening underwriting...
Coverage Creativity
Jul 6 2020 // This morning, I wrote an article for the CPCU CLEW (Coverage, Litigators, Educators & Witnesses) Interest Group called “On Becoming an Insurance Coverage Nerd.” This afternoon, in this column, I get to...
Car Crashes Became Deadlier During Lockdowns Across Globe
Jul 6 2020 // Coronavirus lockdowns led to reductions in traffic and fewer car crashes this spring, but as drivers sped up on quieter roads, the collisions became deadlier in several cities, a Reuters analysis shows. In New York City,...
TuSimple Launches Self-Driving Truck Network with Berkshire’s McLane, UPS
Jul 2 2020 // U.S. technology company TuSimple on Wednesday launched a self-driving freight network with UPS and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. supply chain unit McLane that it said should operate nationwide by 2024 and start running some...
Just Auto in California Secures $5.7M Seed Financing Led by ManchesterStory
Jul 1 2020 // Los Angeles, Calif.-based SF Insuretech Inc., the parent company of Just Auto Insurance, on Wednesday announced a $5.7 million seed funding round. ManchesterStory led the round, with additional investments from CEO and...
R Street Lauds Louisiana Lawmakers for Passing Auto Insurance Reform Bill
Jul 1 2020 // The R Street Institute, a non-profit public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C., says the Louisiana Legislature’s passage of a bill aimed at lowering high auto insurance costs represents a positive...
