Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
U.S. Safety Agency Streamlines Autonomous Vehicle Approvals
Dec 19 2018 // The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Tuesday 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...
Study Shows Arkansas Auto Insurance Rates Lowest in South Central Region
Dec 18 2018 // Auto insurance rates are the lowest in the South Central region and 17th lowest in the nation, a study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows. The Arkansas Insurance Department reported that in...
Carmakers, Ride-Hail Firms Stress Digital Even As Vehicle Cyber Risks Worsen
Dec 18 2018 // Hopping into an Uber or a Car2Go is a great way to get around. Unfortunately, hackers agree, exploiting weaknesses in apps to go on “phantom rides” with someone else’s profile. From such trips—like a...
JLT Re Partners with Insurtech for Auto Insurance MGA Pact
Dec 17 2018 // Reinsurance broker JLT Re North America is partnering with Pact Insurance, a personal auto insurtech company, to develop digital insurance products for mobility risks. Pact is a managing general agency headquartered in San...
U.S. Drivers Sue Hyundai, Kia Over Car Engine Fires
Dec 17 2018 // Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities. More...
AM Best: Outlooks Revised to Stable for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies
Dec 14 2018 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” of Texas Farm Bureau...
5Star Specialty to Assume Distribution of Protective Insurance’s Public Auto Offering
Dec 14 2018 // Transportation industry insurer Protective Insurance Co. and 5Star Specialty Programs have expanded their partnership in the public auto market, a move that means 5Star will be Protective’s sole distribution source...
I.I.I. Study Cites AOB Abuse for Increasing Insurance Costs In Florida
Dec 12 2018 // A new study released by the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) finds that Florida’s assignment of benefits (AOB) crisis has cost consumers billions of dollars in unnecessary litigation and inflated claim costs...
A.M. Best Sees Private Passenger Auto Turnaround, Stable Outlook for 2019
Dec 10 2018 // Ratings analysts at A.M. Best said improved underwriting performance in the private passenger auto line of business, lower—albeit still elevated— catastrophe experience and favorable investment returns have convinced...
How to Deliver Restaurants from Risks of Take-Out Boom
Dec 10 2018 // With a growing number of apps and on-demand services, millennials in particular are increasingly ordering take-out food from their favorite restaurants. As more restaurants expand services into delivery, risk managers must...
