Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
31 Reported Dead, as Flash Floods Slam Turkey
Sep 11 2009 // The heaviest rainfall in at least eight decades sent flash floods barreling across a major highway and into busy business districts in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, on Wednesday, trapping factory workers and truck...
California Issues Regulations for Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance
Sep 10 2009 // California’s insurance commissioner, Steven Poizner, has issued final pay-as-you-drive regulations, which will enable insurers to offer consumers rates that are based on actual miles driven as opposed to estimated...
P/C Insurers Report Surge in Suspicious Claims
Sep 9 2009 // Property/casualty insurance companies report that the number of claims suspected of possible fraud has jumped 13 percent for the first half of this year compared to last year’s first six months. A review of...
Massachusetts Commissioner Caps Premium Increase for Riskiest Drivers
Sep 9 2009 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has laid out what she sees as the “fair” range of auto insurance premium increases for those drivers insured through the state’s residual market. In a...
Down Economy Plus Smarter, Safer Vehicles Help Reduce Death Toll
Sep 9 2009 // The death toll on the nation’s highways dropped in 2008 to 37,261, a 9.7 decrease from the 2007 total and the lowest level since 1961, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The trend continued in the...
Michigan High Court to Reconsider Auto Accident Victims’ Right to Sue
Sep 7 2009 // The Michigan Supreme Court has set the stage for reversing a 2004 precedent that restricts when people injured in auto accidents can sue for pain and suffering. In a 4-3 order, the court decided to reconsider the case of...
Man’s Best Friend
Sep 7 2009 // A friend of mine — or more accurately, a friend of my dog—became excited recently when he realized he could take advantage of the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. He had been wanting for...
AAU Comp Introduces Auto Repair Industry Program in California
Sep 3 2009 // AAU Comp, which launched in July this year, is introducing its first product, a workers compensation program for the auto repair and service industry that will be based out of its new location in El Segundo, Calif. The...
