Latest Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

How to put the brakes on truck crashes

Oct 27 2007 // Drivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in truck crashes are 10 times more likely to be the cause of the crash than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance, according to a study...

For small truckers, exceed the minimum

Oct 27 2007 // The past few years have not been easy for the U.S. trucking industry. Rising fuel prices, threats of terrorism, new regulations and the daily challenges of simply moving heavy freight from point A to point B, have combined...

Oregon Motorcycle Fatalities Rise with Aging Riders

Oct 26 2007 // The motorcycle fatality rate in Oregon is climbing along with the size of bikes’ engines and the age of riders. The number of riders who are killed, as measured by deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles and per...

Mich. H.E.A.T. Auto Theft Program Honors Top Leaders

Oct 26 2007 // Michigan’s H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts) program celebrated its 22nd anniversary with a special awards ceremony and breakfast this week. According to H.E.A.T. officials, since its inception in 1985, H.E.A.T.,...

Wallisa to Join State Auto Middle Markets

Oct 25 2007 // Gina Wallisa will be joining State Auto Middle Markets’ (SAMMI) Texas office effective Oct.29, 2007, the company reported. Wallisa will serve as the zone underwriting manager responsible for executing regional...

Mass. Caps Hikes in Auto Insurance at 10%; Smaller Insurers Eye 2.5% Cut

Oct 25 2007 // The first moves toward competitive rating for auto insurance in Massachusetts indicate that rates for drivers insured by insurers with small market share could drop an average 2.5 percent, while rates for drivers in the...

Report: Las Vegas No. 1, Phoenix Area No. 4 in Nation’s Auto Thefts

Oct 24 2007 // The Phoenix area has the nation’s fourth highest auto-theft rate, according to a recent National Insurance Crime Bureau report. Of the 54,849 vehicles that were stolen in Arizona in 2006, nearly 40,000 of them were...

Mass. Insurance Chief Urges Agents to Seize Opportunity in Auto Deregulation

Oct 23 2007 // Exclusive Video: Commissioner Interview Mass. Commissioner Burnes: Effect of Managed Competition on Mass. Agents Some Massachusetts insurance agents are anxious about the state’s move to a deregulated auto insurance...

Insurance Group Answers Consumer Questions Raised by Wildfires

Oct 23 2007 // After a wildfire, people usually have questions about the coverage provided by a typical homeowners or auto insurance policy. The Insurance Information Network of California offers answers to some of these basic...

Urban Lawmakers Eye Ban on ‘Proxies’ in Mass. Auto Insurance Pricing

Oct 22 2007 // Lawmakers representing urban drivers in Massachusetts are challenging the Patrick administration’s auto insurance plan, saying new regulations leave loopholes for companies to charge higher rates to minorities and...

Mich. Gov. Proclaims Oct. 22-26 Auto Theft Prevention Week

Oct 19 2007 // Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has deemed the week of Oct. 22-26 as “Turn Up the H.E.A.T. Week.” The purpose is to activate residents to increase their awareness of auto theft prevention measures and to...

Premier Insurance in Mass. Changing Brand to Travelers

Oct 19 2007 // As Massachusetts gears up for a switch to a more competitive personal auto insurance market, one of its domestic auto insurers, Premier Insurance Co., will adopt the well-known brand of its parent, Travelers...

Mich. Senate Okays ‘Opt-out’ Option for State’s Helmet Law

Oct 18 2007 // A Michigan Senate Committee passed legislation on Wednesday, Oct. 17 that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. The bill is expected to be voted on by the State Senate in the near...

Some Auto Insurance Rates to Drop in Mississippi

Oct 17 2007 // State Farm Mutual Insurance, the largest writer of automobile coverage in Mississippi, will lower its rate on Nov. 12, while Allstate’s rates will go up. State Farm will drop its rates an average of 3.6 percent. The...

Neb. Man Sentenced for Charging Insurers for Bogus Auto Glass Repairs

Oct 17 2007 // The Nebraska Department of Insurance announced earlier this month that James Almond III, dba Viking Glass, was sentenced by District Court Judge Thomas Otepka on three felony counts of insurance fraud. Almond had been...

Abram Interstate Offers a Preferred Program for Personal Auto

Oct 15 2007 // Abram Interstate Insurance Services Inc. in Rocklin, Calif., is offering a personal auto program in California. The policy provides collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, bodily injury liability, property damage...

Mich. House Passes ‘Opt Out’ Option for State’s Helmet Law

Oct 12 2007 // The Michigan State House passed legislation on Thursday, Oct. 11th that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. The newest proposal includes an “opt-out” solution. Michigan...

Ill. American Service Insurance Offers New Auto Product

Oct 12 2007 // Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based American Service Insurance (ASI) recently released its new public auto product in the states of Indiana and Missouri. The auto product provides coverage for non-emergency paratransit,...

Crash Tests: Some Midsize SUVs Perform Worse than Cars

Oct 12 2007 // Results of crash tests for six sport utility vehicles show frontal crash protection has improved, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety based in Arlington, Va. However, the tests reveal significant...

Fla. Gov. Crist Signs Bill to Bring Back No-Fault Auto Insurance

Oct 11 2007 // Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation that will re-enact Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law and ensure that drivers have $10,000 worth of health care benefits through personal injury protection or PIP coverage...