Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Fiat-Chrysler Appeal in Auto Hacking Case
Jan 7 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Fiat Chrysler‘s appeal in a class action lawsuit over allegations that its Jeeps and other trucks are vulnerable to hacking, one of the first legal cases involving...
5 Children in Church Van Killed in Fiery Crash on Florida Interstate
Jan 7 2019 // A church van packed with children was headed to Walt Disney World when it got caught in a fiery pileup involving two 18-wheelers. Seven people, including five of the youngsters, died in the crash. On Friday, investigators...
Southeast Officials Focus on Curbing Fraud, Rising Auto Rates, Flood Insurance, and Distracted Driving
Jan 7 2019 // For the seventh year in a row, the Florida insurance industry, regulators, and consumer advocates will push for reforms to the state’s assignment of benefits issue that has now become an insurance crisis, according...
State Laws to Curb Drivers’ Use of Cell Phones Appear to Be Saving Lives of Motorcyclists
Jan 7 2019 // Laws to ban or curb drivers’ use of cell phones and other handheld devices have greatly reduced the rate of fatalities for motorcyclists. States with moderate to strong bans have motorcycle fatality rates that differ...
First States to Legalize Marijuana See Rise in Car Insurance Claims, Research Shows
Jan 7 2019 // Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that haven’t legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
20 Indicted in Washington for Staging Crashes to Defraud Auto Insurers
Jan 7 2019 // Twenty people have been indicted by a grand jury in Spokane, Wash., for allegedly staging vehicle crashes to defraud insurance companies. Defendants are accused of staging a series of automobile, boating,...
Once Upon a Time … Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes
Jan 7 2019 // An independent agent in a small rural town insured a farmer whose barn burned down. The agent had failed to schedule the farm structure, so the farm policy did not cover the total loss. The agent routinely placed farm...
Safety Agency Streamlines Approval of Driverless Vehicles
Jan 7 2019 // The U.S. auto safety regulator said it is speeding up the process for reviewing whether automakers can deploy self-driving vehicles without devices such as brakes and steering wheels. Automakers must currently meet nearly...
7 Face Insurance Fraud Charges in Louisiana ‘Staged Crash’ Scheme
Jan 4 2019 // Troopers assigned to the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations New Orleans Field Office Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit have arrested the last suspect in an insurance fraud scheme. A total of seven suspects have...
4 Arrested in Theft of $500K in Tequila from Truck Stop in Florida
Jan 2 2019 // Sheriff’s deputies in Florida have recovered a half-million dollar truckload of stolen tequila. Hillsborough Sheriff’s spokesman Danny Alvarez said in a statement that a truck driver hauling the load of tequila...
Another Lawsuit Filed over Detroit’s Towing Practices
Dec 31 2018 // Two Detroit residents and a car leasing company have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city and a towing company worked with police to impound vehicles without informing owners. The suit alleges that Bobby’s...
Insurance Journal East’s Top Stories for 2018: Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, Auto Insurance, Mass. Gas Explosions
Dec 31 2018 // As Insurance Journal looks back on the most popular stories of 2018, its readers in the East region showed interest in a variety of topics from auto insurance to the September gas explosions in Massachusetts to state...
Commercial Auto: An Old Dog Up to New Tricks
Dec 28 2018 // For the seventh consecutive year, commercial auto is losing money. Despite rate increases in 23 of the last 25 quarters, the combined ratio topped 111 percent in 2017. The line has been a weak spot for many insurers,...
Data Show Car Accidents Up in States That First Legalized Marijuana
Dec 28 2018 // Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance...
16.7 Million Recalled Takata Air Bags Still Unrepaired and on U.S. Roads
Dec 27 2018 // More than three years after the government took over management of recalls involving dangerous Takata air bag inflators, one third of the recalled inflators still have not been replaced. That’s according to an annual...
20 Indicted in Washington for Staging Crashes to Defraud Auto Insurers
Dec 21 2018 // Twenty people have been indicted by a grand jury in Spokane, Wash., for allegedly staging vehicle crashes to defraud insurance companies. Defendants are accused of deliberately staging a series of automobile, boating,...
Signs Point to Better New Year for Nonstandard Auto Insurance Market
Dec 21 2018 // There are initial signs that the private passenger nonstandard automobile segment is beginning to improve after years of unfavorable results, including continued premium growth in 2017 and through mid-year 2018, according...
California DMV Previews New Motor Vehicle Laws Coming in 2019
Dec 20 2018 // The California Department of Motor Vehicles this week issued a reminder of new laws or changes to existing laws going into effect Jan 1, 2019 that motorist and auto insurance professionals should be aware of. The new laws...
Pennsylvania Says Uber Can Resume Self-Driving Car Testing on Public Roads
Dec 19 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc received approval from Pennsylvania to resume self-driving car testing on public roads this week, state records show, nine months after it suspended the program following a deadly accident in...
