Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Trooper uses Facebook to ID driver
Mar 20 2013 // Oregon State Police say a trooper checked Facebook to determine that a driver whose face didn’t match his license was really a fugitive wanted on felony warrants. Lt. Gregg Hastings says an equipment violation...
Minnesota Bills Would Allow Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
Mar 20 2013 // Bills that would let illegal immigrants get a Minnesota driver’s license are moving forward at the Capitol. The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee has passed a bill to ease restrictions on...
More U.S. Than European Drivers on Phone: Study
Mar 19 2013 // Distracted driving is more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe, according to a study that surveyed drivers about their cellphone and texting habits. More U.S. drivers reported talking on their cellphones behind the wheel...
New Mexico Drunken Driver Explains Suit Against Friend, Restaurants
Mar 15 2013 // A Santa Fe, N.M. man convicted of a fatal 2010 drunken-driving accident says his filing a lawsuit against two restaurants and a drinking buddy doesn’t mean he’s not taking responsibility for his actions. James...
West Virginia Bill Would Yank License of Drivers Refusing Blood Test
Mar 15 2013 // Under legislation debated this week, West Virginia drivers could have their licenses revoked for refusing to take a blood test after they’re arrested. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin proposed the bill to try to crack down on...
Kentucky Judges Dismiss Texting While Driving Charges
Mar 12 2013 // Jefferson County, Kentucky judges have dismissed nearly 40 percent of the texting while driving charges brought under the state’s two-year-old ban while police and prosecutors say the ban is nearly impossible to...
Agents Hang Onto P/C Market But Lose Ground in Personal Auto: Study
Mar 11 2013 // After experiencing dwindling premiums for years, the property/casualty insurance industry managed to grow substantially in 2011. Independent agents and brokers hung onto their share of the market with some independent...
New Mexico Drunken Driver Sues Buddy, Restaurants
Mar 11 2013 // A repeat drunken driver convicted in a crash that killed two teenagers has sued his drinking buddy and two Santa Fe restaurants that served him alcohol. James Ruiz, 37, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in New Mexico District...
Driving Stoned Bill Passes Colorado House Committee
Mar 11 2013 // A bill that sets the legal limit to just how stoned drivers in Colorado can be passed unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 1114 sets the limit for driving under the influence of marijuana at 5 nanograms...
Texas Market Share: Homeowners and Personal Auto
Mar 11 2013 // Top 40 Insurers/Homeowners Based on 2011 Texas Written Premium Rank Company $ Written Premium % of Market 1 State Farm Lloyds $1,678,075,665 28.09% 2 Allstate Texas Lloyd’s 462,398,477 7.74% 3 Texas Farmers Ins....
Texting While Driving Injuries to Rise Despite Bans, Warnings: Study
Mar 8 2013 // As states take measures to keep drivers from texting and talking while driving, a new report from researchers at the West Virginia University School of Public Health asserts the laws probably aren’t having much...
Florida Senate Advances Bill Banning Texting While Driving
Mar 7 2013 // A statewide texting-while-driving ban that has eluded passage for several years is again moving through the Florida Legislature. The Senate Communications committee meets Wednesday to consider the bill (SB 52). Opponents...
Panel Kills South Dakota Plan to Ban Texting While Driving
Mar 1 2013 // A South Dakota legislative committee has killed a bill that would have banned texting while driving statewide, despite sometimes-tearful testimony from people whose loved ones have been killed in texting-related...
South Dakota Panel Endorses Cellphone Ban for Young Drivers
Feb 28 2013 // A measure that prohibits beginning drivers from using cellphones or other electronic devices until they get unrestricted licenses at age 16 passed through a South Dakota House committee. But the Transportation Committee...
Texas Auto Insurers Back Texting While Driving Restrictions
Feb 27 2013 // Texas’ major auto insurers support proposed legislation to prohibit texting while driving as the next logical step to prevent accidents and deaths on Texas’ increasingly crowded roadways. Beaman Floyd,...
Driving Stoned Bill Passes Colorado House Committee
Feb 27 2013 // A bill that sets the legal limit to just how “stoned” drivers in Colorado can be passed unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 1114 sets the limit for driving under the influence of...
Teen Driver Deaths Increased in First Half of 2012
Feb 27 2013 // Deaths of younger teen drivers increased sharply in the first six months of last year, reversing a decade-long trend, according to a report released Tuesday by state highway safety officials. Deaths of 16- and 17-year-old...
Missouri Texting While Driving Law Nabs Few Violators
Feb 26 2013 // A 2009 Missouri law that bans young drivers from using their cell phones to send text messages has led to few citations and remains difficult to enforce, a Columbia newspaper reports. The Columbia Missourian reports that...
Ohio Driver’s Licenses Blocked for Some Immigrants
Feb 26 2013 // Driver’s licenses for some young immigrants who came to the United States illegally are being blocked by Ohio Department of Public Safety officials’ questioning whether a new federal program gives those...
Month, Year Less Deadly for Oklahoma Drivers
Feb 25 2013 // The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety says fewer people were killed in auto accidents in January than the same month last year and the overall number of traffic deaths for the year is also down from a year ago. A...
