Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mercury Insurance Cuts Calif. Auto Rates About 10%
Dec 9 2010 // Mercury Insurance announced a $72-million rate reduction for California drivers that includes a rate decrease that could reach up to 10% or more, a new group affiliation discount for university alumni, and the inclusion of...
Report: New Jersey Motorcycle Deaths Drop
Dec 5 2010 // A new report shows a drop in deaths from motorcycle accidents in New Jersey – a change that’s good news for both riders and safety advocates. Overall, 68 people died in motorcycle crashes across the Garden...
Mismatched Bumpers on Cars, SUVs Drive Up Repair Bills
Dec 3 2010 // Mismatched bumpers on cars and SUVs produce far more costly damage in low speed collisions than bumpers that do line up, new car safety research shows. Bumpers on cars are designed to match up with each other in...
California Approves Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Programs
Dec 2 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has approved filings by the Automobile Club of Southern California and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance to offer pay-as-you-drive insurance. The PAYD Insurance program...
Nearly 20% of Drivers in Fatal Crashes Test Positive for Drugs: Report
Dec 1 2010 // About 1 in 5 drivers who were killed last year in car crashes tested positive for drugs, raising concerns about the impact of drugs on auto safety, according to a new government report. Researchers with the National...
Memphis Car Impoundment Lot Battles Theft, Damage Claims
Dec 1 2010 // The city of Memphis is upgrading security at the city’s car impound lot after paying out more than $72,000 to settle a variety of theft and damage claims. Mayor A C Wharton told The Memphis Commercial Appeal that the...
A.M. Best Upgrades Wisconsin’s 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Co.
Dec 1 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company (1st...
New Web Site Calculates Diminished Car Value for Consumers
Dec 1 2010 // The people who launched TheyWroteOffMyCar.com are at it again with a new Web site service called MyCarIsWorthLess.com. That’s worth less, not worthless, according to the announcement. It’s supposed to help...
Auto, Homeowners Insurance Costs in Ohio Well Below National Average
Nov 30 2010 // Ohio consumers pay $226 less for homeowners insurance than the U.S. average and nearly $167 less for auto insurance than the U.S. average, according to a report updated by the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII). The homeowners...
Ohio Insurance Department Unveils New Premium Comparisons
Nov 29 2010 // Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced a new online tool designed to educate and assist Ohioans in finding auto insurance that fits their needs. The Auto Insurance Sample Premium Calculator,...
Drivers Beware When Deer Search for Mates
Nov 24 2010 // Paula Reid was cruising at the speed limit on U.S. 460 in Virginia, near Montvale, her big BMW sedan slicing through the dark highway’s miles. Then, thwack. “Out of nowhere she hit me,” Reid, 49, of...
Report: New Jersey Motorcycle Deaths Drop
Nov 24 2010 // A new report shows a drop in deaths from motorcycle accidents in New Jersey — a change that’s good news for both riders and safety advocates. “I think it’s great,” Barbara Borowiec, a South...
ICT Kicks Off Crime Prevention Program in El Paso
Nov 24 2010 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has joined with State Farm Insurance Co. in introducing the state’s Hide, Lock and Take program to law enforcement officials in El Paso. Both the El Paso Sheriff’s...
Wyoming Leads Nation with Highest Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate
Nov 19 2010 // Wyoming has the unfortunate record of having the highest rates of motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 people, with a rate of 24.6, according the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis. According to...
Feds Urges All States to Require Motorcycle Helmets
Nov 18 2010 // Federal safety officials are calling on states to require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, citing a surge in fatalities since the late 1990s. Motorcycle deaths have increased over the last decade even as other...
Some Vestiges of Patent Infringement Coverage Remain
Nov 18 2010 // Despite multiple changes in general liability insurance forms, redefined offenses, and the addition of exclusions, there are still instances in which coverage for patent infringement may exist. Under the standard CGL...
Washington, Oregon Rank High in Promoting Roadway Safety
Nov 18 2010 // Many states are making progress toward making roads safer, but Oregon and Washington do the best of promoting roadway safety with traffic laws, according to a new report by the Emergency Nurses Association. The report...
MetLife Auto & Home Expands Product Line in Texas With Package Product
Nov 17 2010 // MetLife Auto & Home has announced it will be supplementing its product line in Texas by introducing GrandProtect, a personal lines “package” policy. The product will be available to Texas residents as of...
U.S. Auto Fatalities Down But Safety Efforts Lag
Nov 17 2010 // The United States is lagging behind nearly every other high-income country in reducing annual traffic fatalities, said a report released this week by a U.S. government research panel. There’s some good news: U.S....
Texas Court Halts Sale of Unauthorized Auto Insurance
Nov 17 2010 // Travis County, Texas, District Judge Suzanne Covington issued a permanent injunction on Nov. 15 barring SideCars Inc. of Joplin, Mo., from marketing and selling a form of limited physical damage insurance to used car...
