Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Google Tests Self-Driving Car at Virginia Tech
Sep 5 2013 // Google is working with Virginia Tech researchers to bring its vision of cars that can drive themselves one step closer to reality. The technology company spent the past month in Blacksburg testing one of its self-driving...
Auto Tire and Rim Thefts Increasing in Metro Detroit
Sep 5 2013 // Tire and rim thefts are increasing sharply in Detroit, Mich., according to Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (H.E.A.T.) and the American Car Rental Association (ACRA). H.E.A.T. is Michigan’s statewide auto theft prevention...
How U.S. Consumers Feel About Usage-Based Auto Insurance
Sep 5 2013 // U.S. drivers are open to purchasing usage-based auto insurance (UBI) policies, or “pay as you drive” insurance, and are even more interested when told their premiums would go down, according to a...
Brownsville Remains Texas’ Safest Driving City
Sep 4 2013 // Brownsville drivers are among the best in the country. The Allstate Insurance Company’ ninth annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report” lists America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car...
Self-Driving Cars Could Be on U.S. Roads by 2020
Sep 4 2013 // Cars that drive themselves could be on U.S. roads by the end of this decade. But don’t take your foot off the pedal just yet. Automakers, universities and others are at various stages in the development of autonomous...
Sprint Expands User-Based Insurance Platform
Sep 3 2013 // Sprint is expanding its user-based insurance platform — Integrated Insurance Solutions — with two new products that the company believes is the next step for UBI 2.0. Working with Modus, Sprint launched a text...
New Mexico City Refuses To Pay For Damage From ‘Bait’ Car
Aug 30 2013 // Albuquerque refuses to pay for damage to a New Mexico home struck by a city-owned bait car driven by teens, directing the homeowner to turn to his insurance policy to recover the costs for the damages. Bait cars are...
Mississippi Auto Body Shops Ask Court to Halt State Farm’s Parts-Finder System
Aug 30 2013 // More than two dozen body shops are asking a Mississippi court to block an insurance company’s program that would change the way they find auto parts. The Mississippi Collision Repair Association and the body shops...
Wisconsin Law Lets Motorcyclists Ignore Some Red Lights
Aug 29 2013 // When John Glass of West Allis, Wis., rides his motorcycle, he carries a copy of the state statute that allows motorcyclists to drive through a red light under certain circumstances. Some motorcycles are too small to...
Rhode Island to Create Uninsured Motorists Identification Database
Aug 27 2013 // Rhode Island recently enacted legislation that will allow the division of motor vehicles to hire a third-party contractor to develop an uninsured motorist identification database — and send warning notices to...
South Carolina Court Upholds Exclusions Blocking Contractor Suit Against Subcontractor
Aug 22 2013 // South Carolina’s high court has found that a general contractor cannot sue a subcontractor for faulty workmanship in instances where the subcontractor is in essence doing work on the contractor’s behalf. The...
A Roundup of Maryland’s New Insurance Laws From 2013 Legislative Session
Aug 21 2013 // The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a bulletin this week summarizing new insurance legislation from the Maryland General Assembly’s 2013 session that have been signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley....
Prior Approval of Auto Rates Does Not Benefit Consumers: Study
Aug 21 2013 // The prior-approval rate regulation of auto insurance is considered an unnecessary and ineffective approach, according to a new industry study. Risk and insurance experts responding to the survey conducted by the Insurance...
Most, Least Expensive States to Own a Car
Aug 21 2013 // Georgia is the most expensive state to operate a motor vehicle and Oregon is the cheapest, according to a Bankrate.com report that considers the costs of gasoline, insurance, repairs, taxes and fees. In Georgia, a typical...
Mass. Division of Insurance Approves 2 New Entrants to State’s Auto Insurance Market
Aug 20 2013 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance announced that Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) and Esurance automobile insurance are now available for Massachusetts consumers. The Division of Insurance said that...
Cause of Limo Fire in California That Killed 5 Revealed
Aug 20 2013 // Recordings of the 911 calls released Monday captured witnesses, including some who had just escaped the limo, recounting the last moments of the five nurses who died inside, as authorities said a mechanical problem was...
U.S. Presses Japan to Open Insurance, Auto Markets
Aug 19 2013 // The United States urged Japan on Monday to open its auto and insurance markets more to foreign companies as the two countries pursue bilateral talks linked to a broader free-trade agreement that covers two-fifths of the...
50 Ways to Market Personal Lines Insurance
Aug 19 2013 // With apologies to Paul Simon’s classic song, there must be at least 50 ways to promote personal lines policies. Below is my list. I stopped at 50 due to the song, so if you wanted more, it’s Paul’s fault,...
Indiana Motorcycle, Alcohol-Related Deaths Up
Aug 16 2013 // Researchers say Indiana roads were more deadly last year for motorcyclists and for people driving after drinking. The report by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s Center for Criminal Justice Research...
Arkansas State Police Roll Out New Low-Profile Cruisers
Aug 15 2013 // The Arkansas State Police on Aug. 14 deployed 24 new low-profile vehicles that are designed to blend in with ordinary traffic and allow troopers a better opportunity to witness more traffic violations. Each of the 12...
