Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
So Where’s All That Economic Disruption from Technology?
Nov 3 2016 // A funny thing happened on the path to disruption. This decade, most of Silicon Valley’s big societal claims have turned out to be wrong. These claims arguably began around the time this cycle’s real expansion...
Insurance Council: Texas Leads Nation in Vehicle/Animal Collisions
Nov 2 2016 // Texas has twice as many motorists killed in vehicles colliding with wild animals than any other state, the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) reports. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more than...
Lockton Adds van Winden as Sr. VP, Energy Property Leader in Houston
Nov 2 2016 // Rene van Winden has joined Lockton as a senior vice president and national energy property leader based in the insurance broker’s Houston operation. He is an expert in onshore property insurance programs and will...
Drivers Leaving Keys for Thieves a Growing Problem, Says Insurers’ Crime Bureau
Nov 2 2016 // Last year, one out of every eight car thefts was a freebie for the thief because the driver left the keys or the car access device inside. It’s a growing problem according to a report from the insurance...
Entrepreneur Shuts Startup After U.S. Questions Safety of Self-Driving Kit
Oct 31 2016 // Self-driving cars are getting closer by the day, but they won’t be coming from hacking phenomenon George Hotz. Hotz, the first person to jailbreak an iPhone and a vagabond of the world’s top tech companies, has...
Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Highest When Agents File Claims
Oct 31 2016 // Eight of 10 customers who purchased their auto insurance policy through a local agent still call their agent first to report or seek advice regarding a claim and customers whose agents file their claim are happier with...
Car Theft, Break-Ins Top List of Most Common Crimes in Kentucky City
Oct 31 2016 // Lexington, Ky., officials say property thefts, especially those involving vehicles, are among the most frequently committed crimes in Kentucky’s second-largest city. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports more than 260...
Confie Acquires Texas Auto Insurance Agency
Oct 26 2016 // Confie, a national provider of personal and commercial lines insurance, has acquired Hulme Corp., dba Alamo Auto Insurance of East Texas. Founded in 2001 and based in Tyler, Texas, Alamo Auto focuses on providing...
U.S. Judge Approves $14.7 Billion Settlement for VW Diesel Car Owners
Oct 26 2016 // A U.S. judge on Tuesday approved one of the biggest corporate settlements on record, Volkswagen AG’s $14.7 billion deal arising from its diesel emissions cheating scandal, and the German automaker said it would begin...
Startup Auto Insurer Root Targets Good Drivers with Smartphones
Oct 25 2016 // Root officially debuted in the U.S. market on October 25. The fledgling auto insurer, just 18 months old, relies on telematics and a customer’s smartphone to deliver what it says will be significantly cheaper rates...
Review of 14 Studies Identifies Risk Factors for Kids’ Bicycle Injuries
Oct 25 2016 // Kids of lower socioeconomic status, those riding in rural areas, and those riding mostly on the sidewalk have higher risk of injury than others, according to a new review. Not surprisingly, injuries related to motor...
This Bud’s for Uber’s Self-Driving Truck Road Test
Oct 25 2016 // A tractor trailer full of beer drove itself down Colorado’s I-25 last week with nobody behind the wheel. Uber Technologies Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev NV teamed up on the delivery, which they said is the first time...
Midwest Study: More Lighting Would Cut Farm Vehicle Crashes by 60%
Oct 21 2016 // Traffic accidents involving farm vehicles in the Midwest would drop by more than 60 percent if state policies required more lighting and reflection on those vehicles, according to a study from the University of Iowa...
Automakers, Chipmakers Race to Equip Autonomous Vehicles
Oct 21 2016 // Tesla Motors Inc.’s decision to equip all of its vehicles with self-driving hardware has intensified competition among rival camps of technology and auto companies over what equipment will be on board cars of the...
Travelers’ Q3 Results Hurt by Auto, Flood Claims
Oct 20 2016 // Travelers Cos., the sole property/casualty insurer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, posted its fourth-straight profit decline as weather-related costs climbed and investment income slipped. The stock had the biggest...
California Rules for Self-Driving Cars Draw Objections from Google, Automakers
Oct 20 2016 // Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit and automakers objected on Wednesday to California proposals to set new, mandatory rules for testing self-driving cars in the state, which industry officials said could hobble their...
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Insurance Fraud
Oct 19 2016 // New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced that a Woodbridge, N.J., man was sentenced to three years in prison for reporting that his motorcycle had been...
Judge ‘Strongly’ Inclined to Approve Volkswagen $14.7 Billion Settlement
Oct 19 2016 // Volkswagen AG and car owners will likely secure a federal judge’s final sign-off on their $14.7 billion settlement as the automaker continues to seek regulators’ approval of a fix for 482,000 pollution-spewing...
Auto Claims Startup Snapsheet Attracts $20 Million in Funding
Oct 18 2016 // Liberty Mutual and USAA are among the backers behind of Snapsheet, a startup that is developing virtual auto claims technology and services that recently closed on $20 million in new financing. Snapsheet disclosed the...
10 Takeaways from the Future of Insurance and InsureTech Connect Conference
Oct 17 2016 // You’ve probably heard. There is tremendous investor interest right now in technology-first insurance startups, or insurtech firms. The first InsureTech Connect Conference in Las Vegas in early October attracted an...
