Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Virginia Car Insurer to Host Grand Opening
Oct 20 2009 // Virginia-based Elephant Insurance, a recently launched direct writer for auto insurance, plans to host a grand opening for its new offices tomorrow. The company, which is owned by UK-based Admiral Group, has invited...
North Carolina Arrests 3 More in Alleged Staged Auto Accident Ring
Oct 19 2009 // Three more people have been arrested in connection with an alleged staged accident ring in North Carolina, bringing the total to seven in what has been a two-year investigation in Rowland. Insurance Commissioner Wayne...
Pressure Builds for More States to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving
Oct 19 2009 // Opening a Sept. 30 government meeting on auto safety, the Obama administration reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a...
Louisiana Rolls Out New Online Auto and Homeowners Rate Guides
Oct 14 2009 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance announced that its 2009 online auto and homeowners rate comparison guides are now available for viewing on the Department of Insurance Web site at www.ldi.state.la.us. “The rate...
California Governor Vetoes Auto Insurance Program
Oct 13 2009 // A state-backed low-cost automobile insurance for Californians is threatened following Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto of a bill that would have extended the program until 2016. The veto has consumer groups...
California Man Nabbed for Auto Insurance Fraud
Oct 9 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced today that Tony Lu, 56, of San Jose, was arrested on October 7 and charged with filing a false motor vehicle claim, perjury and falsely reporting a crime. Lu was...
Loss Control Leads to $801K Dividend for Texas Auto Dealers
Oct 9 2009 // Workers’ compensation insurer Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced an $801,625 dividend to the Lone Star Auto Dealers (LSA) purchasing group. LSA has earned nearly $4 million in dividends since 2002. The dividend...
Arizona Has Big Decline in Auto Theft
Oct 7 2009 // Thefts of cars and trucks in the Phoenix area are down 33 percent over last few years according to law enforcement and insurance industry experts. Roughly 55,300 cars, trucks and motorcycles were stolen in 2004, compared...
Virginia Woman Sentenced for Staging Auto Crashes
Oct 7 2009 // A Norfolk, Virginia woman will spend seven years in prison for staging auto accidents to collect insurance money. Teresa R. Gallop was sentenced in federal court Monday. The 41-year-old had 60 prior felony convictions,...
New York Releases Auto Insurance Rankings
Oct 2 2009 // Amica Insurance tops the just-released rankings of the least-complained about personal auto insurers in New York, according to the New York State Insurance Department. The list, which is pulled together annually, looks at...
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Charge $500 Fee When Vehicle Is Seized
Oct 2 2009 // Drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, whose vehicles are seized for violations such as lack of insurance or a drivers license, or drunk driving, will soon be charged an additional seizure fee above and beyond the typical tow and...
Driver Distraction Costs 6,000 Lives a Year; Many Teens
Oct 1 2009 // Opening a government meeting on auto safety, the Obama administration reported Wednesday that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a...
Delaware Court Changes Underinsured Limits in Case of Hurt Motorcyclist
Sep 30 2009 // A Delaware Superior Court has ruled that Progressive Insurance Co. must provide $15,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage to a severely injured motorcyclist who sued the insurer after learning he had...
State Auto Offers Enhanced ID Theft Coverage for Married Couples
Sep 25 2009 // The State Auto Insurance Companies, based in Columbus, Ohio, now offer customized Marriage Identity Services, enhancing the lineup of identity protection services available to State Auto policyholders. Through a...
U.S. Safety Agency Eyes Cell Phone Use Ban for Bus, Truck Drivers
Sep 25 2009 // Safety investigators told federal regulators three years ago that it was dangerous for bus drivers to talk on cell phones while driving and recommended a ban. The National Transportation Safety Board put that...
Auto-Owners Insurance to Expand Michigan Headquarters
Sep 24 2009 // Auto-Owners Insurance Co. says it will build a new corporate complex when it expands its Michigan headquarters. The $105.3 million project will be near the company’s Delta Township headquarters in Eaton County, just...
Car Theft Ring Targeted U. of Tennessee Football Fans for 10 Years
Sep 23 2009 // Federal authorities say two dozen people arrested earlier this year were part of a sophisticated car theft ring that targeted vehicles at University of Tennessee football home games. Unsealed federal documents examined by...
Calif. Ballot Measure Would Make Driver ‘Persistency’ Discount Portable
Sep 21 2009 // But Consumer Group Says Insurer’s Measure Would Harm More Than Help Insureds Insurer-backed Californians for Fair Auto Insurance Rates (CalFAIR) is promoting a voter initiative that would reward drivers who have had...
California Sets Rules for Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance
Sep 21 2009 // California has issued final pay-as-you-drive regulations, which will guide insurers offering consumers rates that are based on actual as opposed to estimated miles driven. The regulations allow insurers to offer discounts...
Two Californians Nabbed for Auto Insurance Fraud
Sep 14 2009 // Two residents of San Jose, Calif., have been arrested on automobile insurance fraud charges, after one of them attempted to buy insurance immediately after an accident. “Insurance fraud perpetrators drive up the cost...
