Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Court Holds Store Liable for Fatal Crash After Beer Sale
Jul 6 2011 // The Georgia Supreme Court has found a convenience store can be held liable for a fatal highway accident that took place after a driver purchased a 12-pack of beer. Overturning a lower court, the state’s top court...
Spriggs to Lead State Auto Government Relations Team
Jul 5 2011 // Élise Spriggs, a 20-year veteran of Ohio’s legislative and legal communities, has joined Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Insurance Companies as director of Government Relations. Since January 2011, Spriggs had...
State Auto Drops R.I., Limits Coverage in Massachusetts
Jul 5 2011 // Ohio-based State Auto Insurance Cos. said it will cease writing coverage in Rhode Island and write only certain lines of business in Massachusetts. State Auto will continue to write business and farm Insurance in...
Connecticut Increases Motor Vehicle Fees
Jul 5 2011 // Cash-strapped Connecticut has increased a number of fees and charges at its Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Among the fees are an $8 increase — up to $72 — for renewing licenses, a $25 fee for failing to renew on...
Commercial Auto Claims on the Rise – Will Rates Come Next?
Jul 4 2011 // An increase in claims from cargo theft and freight physical damage is expected to lead to higher insurance rates in the commercial auto class, a welcome development for some insurers after years of prices going...
Motorcycle Rider Deaths Rise in Delaware
Jun 30 2011 // Delaware highway safety officials are alarmed at the increased number of motorcycle deaths and are urging riders to drive sober and wear helmets. Authorities said 10 people have been killed in motorcycle crashes this year,...
Michigan Senate Votes to Lift Motorcycle Helmet Rule for Some
Jun 30 2011 // A proposal to allow some motorcycle riders to go without a helmet has been approved by the Michigan Senate. The measure approved this week by a 24-14 vote would allow riders 21 or older to go helmetless if they have been...
Texas Takes 26.5% of ‘Roadchecked’ Commercial Vehicles Out of Service
Jun 24 2011 // During the recent 72-hour Roadcheck 2011 program, the Texas Department of Public Safety and other Texas law enforcement agencies inspected 7,993 commercial vehicles. Of the vehicles inspected, 26.5 percent were placed out...
Brooklyn Auto Body Shop Charged with Inflating Bills to Insurer
Jun 24 2011 // Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced has charged Borough Park autobody shop, Perfect Collision, with intentionally damaging cars brought in for repairs, so it could submit inflated bills to insurance...
3 Ohio Cities Among Those with High Car Theft Rates
Jun 22 2011 // Three places in Ohio are among the 100 U.S. cities with the worst car theft problems. A report released Tuesday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows Cleveland ranks 82nd, with just over 271 vehicles stolen in 2010...
Mobile Food Vendor Market Explodes as Insurance Market Evolves
Jun 21 2011 // In just about every metropolitan area nationwide hungry customers can appease their appetites by visiting the neighborhood taco truck. The traditional taco truck sells more than just tacos these days – a lot more....
Washington Man Charged With Auto Insurance Fraud
Jun 21 2011 // A Tacoma, Wash., man faces multiple charges after allegedly filing forged documents in an auto theft claim, the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner announced. Cash B. Knott, 45, has been charged in Pierce County...
Michigan Supreme Court Eyes Broken Ankle, Truck Door Insurance Case
Jun 21 2011 // The Michigan Supreme Court wants to know more about a Macomb County case in which a woman successfully sued her insurance company after breaking her ankle outside her parked truck. The court might consider whether it was...
Calif., Wash. Lead Nation in Car Thefts
Jun 21 2011 // While car thefts nationwide have declined, the western states have the uneviable distinction of having the most car thefts in the nation. According to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the top 10 spots...
Don’t Let Clients Count on Luck When It Comes to Personal Umbrella Purchases
Jun 20 2011 // By the time you finish reading this sentence, two new law suits will be filed in U.S. courts. We live in an extremely litigious society. There is no other way to put it. The United States has more lawyers per capita than...
People
Jun 20 2011 // Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Co. announced new executive appointments and the election of four new directors for full terms on its 12-member board. Denver Regional Office Underwriting Manager Jolene Grow was...
Settlement Leads Massachusetts Insurers to Issue Refunds to Motorcyclists
Jun 20 2011 // Insurers USAA and NGM Insurance Co. will return a combined $3.4 million to Massachusetts motorcycle policyholders as part of a settlement with state officials. Attorney General Martha Coakley said that 9,500 checks have...
Calif. Agents Group Seeks Auto Insurance Persistency Discount
Jun 20 2011 // The American Agents Alliance announced it has submitted for title and summary an automobile insurance discount initiative that would allow consumers to receive a discount for having continuous automobile insurance,...
Anthony Clark Sells Southern California Agency
Jun 13 2011 // Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based Anthony Clark International Insurance Brokers Ltd., has announced the sale by its United States subsidiaries Addison Low Cost Insurance Brokers Ltd. and Addison Bay Insurance Brokers Ltd. of...
Toyota to Face 2013 Trial Over Sudden Acceleration
Jun 13 2011 // A federal judge has chosen a Utah crash that killed two people as the first bellwether trial in nationwide litigation over whether Toyota Motor Corp. made defective vehicles that sped up unexpectedly. U.S. District Judge...
