Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Kids’ Car Seats, Ridesharing Popularity Prompt Focus on Back Seat Safety
May 26 2016 // Crash-test dummies, who have dutifully endured thousands of simulated accidents from the front seat, are about to get a ride in the back. Regulators are making the move as part of a new emphasis on the safety of back-seat...
South Carolina Bar Sued For Overserving Motorcyclist Who Crashed, Killed Passenger
May 26 2016 // A bar in Columbia, S.C., has been accused of serving so much alcohol to one of its underage patrons that he became extremely intoxicated and crashed his motorcycle, killing a 19-year-old woman who was riding with him. The...
Investigators: Fraud Schemes Rampant Among Houston Tow Truck Drivers
May 25 2016 // Houston is a bad place to have to have your vehicle towed, according to law enforcement officials and insurance investigators. There have multiple reports of vehicles being towed and towing services charging victims...
West Virginia Motorcyclist Wins $500K in Suit Against Travelers, Truck Driver
May 25 2016 // A jury has awarded more than $500,000 to a motorcyclist in South Charleston, W. Va., who was injured in a lumber spill wreck. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports jurors reached the verdict last week in Larry Keeling...
Feds: 6 Connecticut Men Staged 50 Car Crashes for Insurance Money
May 25 2016 // Federal prosecutors say six Connecticut residents have been charged with staging car crashes so they could make fraudulent insurance claims. U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly said Tuesday that five Norwich residents and one New...
Liberty International Underwriters Launches Auto Parts Recall Policy
May 25 2016 // Liberty International Underwriters, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance, has launched an Automotive Components Product Recall Policy designed to cover first and third party recall expenses. The policy coverage encompasses...
Encompass Insurance Exits North Carolina Personal Lines Market
May 25 2016 // Encompass Indemnity Insurance, an Allstate Insurance company that sells business through independent agents, has exited the North Carolina personal lines market. As of this month, Encompass is no longer renewing business...
Disaster Fraud Rampant After Floods, Hurricanes
May 24 2016 // This year, extensive flooding has already affected parts of Texas and Louisiana. With more rain producing floods in the forecast for the southern part of the U.S. this spring, the likelihood of disaster fraud...
South Dakota Lawyer Says Auto Insurer Misled Him about Policy
May 23 2016 // The former lawyer for a car crash victim accused an auto insurance company of hiding a $1 million policy that could have paid for his client’s medical bills during testimony in court. Attorney Jeff Cole testified in...
Tough Times for Commercial Auto Insurance: Fitch
May 23 2016 // While the property/casualty industry has reported three consecutive years of significant underwriting profits, the commercial auto market as a whole reported an underwriting loss for the fifth consecutive year in 2015. In...
Auto Insurance Customers Disappointed in Their Insurers’ Websites: J.D. Power
May 20 2016 // While overall customers are more satisfied with their experience shopping online for auto insurance, they are less thrilled with the websites of individual insurance companies, with only slightly more half saying they...
Main Street America Group Expands Private Passenger Auto Coverage to Conn., N.H.
May 19 2016 // The Main Street America Group has expanded its private passenger auto insurance program to Connecticut and New Hampshire. Highlights of the Main Street Protection Auto program, which was first launched in South Carolina...
Austin Riders Look to Craigslist after Exit of Uber and Lyft
May 19 2016 // After a car wreck last year put Akhila Sivakumar in the hospital for more than a month and left her with burns and bruises across her body, she was hesitant to drive again. So when the 22-year-old began to look for jobs...
Georgia Studying Semi-Only Lanes to Reduce Traffic, Improve Safety
May 19 2016 // Georgia transportation officials are studying how to add semi-only lanes for truck traffic on Interstate 75 between Macon and Atlanta’s southern suburbs. Georgia is trying to deal with a port of Savannah that’s...
Vehicle Problems Not New for Bus Company in South Texas Crash
May 17 2016 // The small South Texas bus company involved in a rollover crash that killed eight people and injured 44 others had twice been ordered by Louisiana state inspectors in 2015 to take one of its buses off the road to fix brake...
Allstate App Helps Insureds Get Price Quotes, Schedule Car Repairs
May 17 2016 // Allstate has teamed up with Openbay, an online marketplace for non-collision auto-repair and maintenance services, to allow consumers to receive multiple price quotes and schedule auto repairs for anything from an engine...
NJM to Offer Motorcycle, ATV Coverage in New Jersey
May 16 2016 // NJM, a property-casualty insurer offering coverage in New Jersey, has partnered with American Modern Insurance Group to offer coverage for motorcycles, ATVs and similar vehicles. The program offers coverage for standard...
Promise of Robot Cars Includes Surges in Traffic Congestion and Miles Driven
May 16 2016 // Self-driving cars are expected to usher in a new era of mobility, safety and convenience. The problem, say transportation researchers, is that people will use them too much. Experts foresee robot cars chauffeuring children...
In Iowa, Technology Changes Rapidly Altering Trucking Industry
May 13 2016 // In the trucking industry, technology is driving change. Todd Smith, chief operating officer at Decker Truck Line Inc. in Fort Dodge, Iowa, told The Messenger that by the end of 2017 it will be mandated that all trucks have...
Progressive CEO Renwick to Retire; Griffith Chosen as Successor
May 13 2016 // The Progressive Corp. announced that Glenn Renwick, president and chief executive officer, will retire after more than 15 years as CEO and almost 30 years with the company, effective July 1, 2016. Tricia Griffith,...