Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurers Divided Over North Carolina Auto Insurance System
Dec 27 2011 // Is it more important to keep overall car insurance premiums low, or to make sure everyone’s paying what they deserve? North Carolina legislators once again examining the unique rate-setting system for the...
Obama Administration Decides Against Lowering Trucker Daily Hours
Dec 27 2011 // The Obama administration decided against a cut in truckers’ daily hours behind the wheel, to the dismay of safety advocates, but made other changes aimed at fighting driver fatigue. The rule issued last Thursday...
Consumer Group Hammers Mercury Rate Increase Filing in California
Dec 22 2011 // A California consumer group is challenging a rate hike bid by Mercury Insurance because the group claims the company is trying to pass along the costs of its political campaigning. But the insurer says those costs are not...
For Florida Gov. Scott, Insurance Fixes Are Legislative Priority
Dec 21 2011 // Gov. Rick Scott wants lawmakers to fix a pair of auto and property insurance issues that are costing Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars but have eluded resolution for more than a decade. The issue facing the...
Insurers May Open ‘Black Box’ Telematics to Escape Gender Ban
Dec 21 2011 // Motor [auto] insurers seeking to get around a European ban on charging male drivers more than women are turning to innovative black box technology that could trigger an upheaval in the way car insurance is...
West Virginia AG Sues Insurer, Auto Repair Shop
Dec 20 2011 // West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw said last week that his office has sued Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and an auto repair shop. The attorney general says the defendants allegedly repaired vehicles with what...
Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information
Dec 16 2011 // Have you ever wondered how modern-day fire departments began? Or why agents buy E&O coverage? What about when the first business owners policy launched? These are just a few questions that Insurance Journal and Claims...
National Transportation Board Recommends Ban on Driver Cell Phone Use
Dec 14 2011 // States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member...
Canada Pulls Out of Kyoto Climate Change Protocol; First Country To Do So
Dec 13 2011 // On Monday Canada became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty. Environment Minister Peter Kent broke the...
Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill Capping Attorney Fees
Dec 9 2011 // Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill designed to limit attorneys’ fees after a well-known lemon law lawyer collected more than $150,000 in an auto-repair dispute. The measure, part of Walker’s special...
‘MythBusters’ Cannonball Rips Through House, Van
Dec 8 2011 // A stunt for the TV show “MythBusters” sent an errant cannonball through a California family’s house and into a parked minivan a few hundred feet away. Producers for the Discovery Channel show fired the...
Alabama Businesses Working on Workplace Safety
Dec 8 2011 // It’s not uncommon for Troy Collett to feel like he’s playing a game of dodge cars when he’s making a delivery in downtown Florence, Alabama. “I’ve felt the exhaust off the tailpipes (of the...
70 Million Drivers Missing Out on Car Insurance Savings: Insurer
Dec 8 2011 // More than 70 million drivers in the U.S. potentially are leaving car insurance savings on the table by not taking advantage of usage-based insurance programs that reward drivers who drive safely and during safe times of...
Willis Re Spots Downward Trend UK Auto Claims; Premium Increases
Dec 8 2011 // UK motor [auto] insurance premiums “have continued to rise in 2011, with some drivers facing price increases of up to 50 percent,” according to findings of the annual UK Motor Market Review by Willis Re. It...
5Star Specialty Programs Expands Auto Dealer Product
Dec 6 2011 // 5Star Specialty Programs has expanded its Auto Dealers program to 43 states. With these new markets, the coverage is nationwide, except in Ark., Conn., D.C., Hawaii, Mass., Minn., N.J. and R.I. DEALERsure covers rural and...
Vehicle Accidents Rising in N.D. Oil Boom Town
Dec 5 2011 // Authorities in the city that serves as the hub for North Dakota’s oil activity say vehicle accidents are on the rise. Statistics released by police in Williston show there were nearly twice as many accidents reported...
Allstate Bundles Home Policies with Auto Policies in North Carolina
Dec 5 2011 // Allstate Insurance Co. has informed 45,000 homeowners in North Carolina that it will not renew their home policies unless they also purchase commercial or private auto insurance from the insurer by Dec. 15. Allstate...
Insurer Pays in Florida Rental Car Crash
Dec 5 2011 // A rental car customer’s insurer must cover crash injuries, even though an unauthorized driver was behind the wheel. That’s what the Florida Supreme Court decided in a 5-2 opinion recently. The majority ruled in...
8 Ways to Avoid Making a Lousy First Impression
Dec 5 2011 // Don’t Self-Destruct at an Initial Meeting With a New Insurance Prospect Let’s start with a couple of clichés… You never get a second chance to make a first impression… and… The No. 1 rule of...
Repairs to Kansas Bridge Hit by Truck to Cost $300K
Dec 2 2011 // Kansas transportation officials estimate it will cost about $300,000 to repair a Wichita bridge that was damaged when it was hit by a truck with an extended hydraulic boom. Kansas Department of Transportation spokesman Tom...
