Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Safety Agency Streamlines Autonomous Vehicle Approvals
Dec 19 2018 // The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Tuesday it is speeding up the process for reviewing whether automakers can deploy self-driving vehicles without devices such as brakes and steering wheels. Automakers must currently...
Study Shows Arkansas Auto Insurance Rates Lowest in South Central Region
Dec 18 2018 // Auto insurance rates are the lowest in the South Central region and 17th lowest in the nation, a study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows. The Arkansas Insurance Department reported that in...
Carmakers, Ride-Hail Firms Stress Digital Even As Vehicle Cyber Risks Worsen
Dec 18 2018 // Hopping into an Uber or a Car2Go is a great way to get around. Unfortunately, hackers agree, exploiting weaknesses in apps to go on “phantom rides” with someone else’s profile. From such trips—like a...
JLT Re Partners with Insurtech for Auto Insurance MGA Pact
Dec 17 2018 // Reinsurance broker JLT Re North America is partnering with Pact Insurance, a personal auto insurtech company, to develop digital insurance products for mobility risks. Pact is a managing general agency headquartered in San...
U.S. Drivers Sue Hyundai, Kia Over Car Engine Fires
Dec 17 2018 // Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities. More...
AM Best: Outlooks Revised to Stable for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies
Dec 14 2018 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” of Texas Farm Bureau...
5Star Specialty to Assume Distribution of Protective Insurance’s Public Auto Offering
Dec 14 2018 // Transportation industry insurer Protective Insurance Co. and 5Star Specialty Programs have expanded their partnership in the public auto market, a move that means 5Star will be Protective’s sole distribution source...
I.I.I. Study Cites AOB Abuse for Increasing Insurance Costs In Florida
Dec 12 2018 // A new study released by the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) finds that Florida’s assignment of benefits (AOB) crisis has cost consumers billions of dollars in unnecessary litigation and inflated claim costs...
A.M. Best Sees Private Passenger Auto Turnaround, Stable Outlook for 2019
Dec 10 2018 // Ratings analysts at A.M. Best said improved underwriting performance in the private passenger auto line of business, lower—albeit still elevated— catastrophe experience and favorable investment returns have convinced...
How to Deliver Restaurants from Risks of Take-Out Boom
Dec 10 2018 // With a growing number of apps and on-demand services, millennials in particular are increasingly ordering take-out food from their favorite restaurants. As more restaurants expand services into delivery, risk managers must...
The Bad News About High Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction
Dec 10 2018 // Record high customer satisfaction among auto insurance customers is clearly good news for customers, especially at a time when their overall customer experience is being tested by the rising cost of auto insurance. For...
Manhattan Man Convicted in Two Identity Theft Schemes
Dec 7 2018 // A Manhattan man has been convicted of engaging in two separate identity theft schemes between 2013 and 2014 and has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half to 15 years in state prison. An investigation by New York Attorney...
Distracted Driving Laws Save Motorcyclists’ Lives, Research Finds
Dec 6 2018 // Laws to ban or curb drivers’ use of cell phones and other handheld devices have greatly reduced the rate of fatalities for motorcyclists. States with moderate to strong bans have motorcycle fatality rates that differ...
Chinese Manufacturer Ninebot’s Dominance Has Startups Sharing Scooter Product Risks
Dec 6 2018 // Scooter-sharing company Lime recently relayed a troubling message to its users: a portion of its fleet was at risk of bursting into flames. The startup recalled about 2,000 vehicles, less than one percent of its scooters,...
California Highway Patrol May Have Used Tesla Autopilot to Stop Speeding Car
Dec 5 2018 // The California Highway Patrol says it may have used the Autopilot system of a Tesla to stop the car after its driver fell asleep. The CHP says officers attempted to stop the Tesla Model S, which was doing about 70 mph on a...
Waymo Self-Driving, Fare-Generating Taxis Hit the Road in Arizona
Dec 5 2018 // Alphabet’s Waymo on Wednesday launched a significant development in its costly, decade-long quest for autonomous transportation: self-driving taxis that actually generate fares. With little fanfare, the company has...
Self-Driving Vehicle Regulation Bill Gets Late Push in Senate
Dec 4 2018 // Key U.S. senators are making a last-ditch effort to win approval of a bill to speed the use of self-driving cars without human controls, but face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. Staff for Republican Senator John Thune...
Several Injured in North Texas School Bus/Car Accident
Dec 3 2018 // Investigators say one adult has been critically injured and several students were slightly hurt when a school bus was hit head-on by a car in North Texas. The Department of Public Safety says the Bridgeport Independent...
Allianz, Mitsui Sumitomo Bidding for Malaysia’s 2d Biggest Car Insurer
Dec 3 2018 // Allianz Malaysia Bhd. and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. have been shortlisted to proceed to the next round of bidding for AmGeneral Insurance Bhd., in a deal that could value Malaysia’s second-biggest car insurer at...
Insurance Brokers Sharing in the Sharing Economy
Dec 3 2018 // As more and more consumers click for services and borrow rather than buy, the sharing economy is benefitting. According to Harvard Business Review, the sharing or on-demand economy is attracting more than 22.4 million...
