Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Bans Texting While Driving Aug. 1
Jul 30 2012 // Starting Wednesday, texting, emailing and instant messaging while driving will become illegal in Alabama, with violators facing fines and possibly higher insurance rates. That is, if they don’t have a wreck...
Texting Driver in South Dakota Charged with Manslaughter
Jul 30 2012 // A man accused of fatally injuring a motorcyclist while he was speeding and texting is facing manslaughter charges in a case that could fuel efforts to ban texting while driving in South Dakota’s largest...
Costs Driving Changes, Opportunities in New World of Benefits Brokerage
Jul 24 2012 // Group health insurance brokerage is changing but the changes are not primarily due to Congress or the courts. Rather the changes are being driven by costs — the cost of healthcare coverage and the cost of serving...
Sprint Offers Usage-Based, Driver Tracking Service for Insurance Industry
Jul 23 2012 // Communications firm Sprint has begun selling driver tracking services to auto insurers. Sprint said its integrated, end-to-end usage-based insurance (UBI) services is designed specifically for the auto insurance industry....
More Gen Y’ers Passing on Driving
Jul 23 2012 // To Shoshana Gurian-Sherman, driving seemed like a huge hassle. “Part of it was laziness,” the 23-year-old Minneapolis, Minn., resident recalled. “I didn’t really want to put in the effort to learn...
Driving History Seen as Predictor of Individual’s Lifespan
Jul 23 2012 // It appears that bad drivers live shorter lives than good drivers and not just because they get in accidents. The same motor vehicle driving records already widely used to help determine car insurance pricing can also be...
Calif. Drivers Will Be Allowed to Text, With Restrictions
Jul 23 2012 // California drivers will be allowed to text when they’re behind the wheel of a car, as long as they’re using a hands-free device, and with some restrictions. Under a bill recently signed into law by Gov. Jerry...
Calif. Drivers Will Be Allowed To Text, With Restrictions
Jul 16 2012 // California drivers will be allowed to text when they’re behind the wheel of a car, as long as they’re using a hands-free device, and with some restrictions. Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on...
N.Y. Issued 20,958 Tickets for Texting While Driving During Past Year
Jul 13 2012 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday marked the one year anniversary of the state’s strict law to prevent distracted driving. Gov. Cuomo says the new law has helped law enforcement authorities crack down hard on...
Malpractice Claims at Record Low, Not Driving Health Costs: Consumer Group
Jul 13 2012 // The consumer group Public Citizen says that medical malpractice payments in 2011 were at a record low and have fallen for eight straight years. The groups says this data shows that malpractice payments are not to blame for...
Driving History Seen as Predictor of Individual’s Lifespan
Jul 11 2012 // It appears that bad drivers live shorter lives than good drivers and not just because they get in accidents. The same motor vehicle driving records already widely used to help determine how much a consumer pays for car...
Esurance Offering Discount to Texas Drivers for Facebook ‘Like’
Jul 10 2012 // Esurance announced it is now offering drivers in Texas a 10 percent discount on their car insurance for “liking” Esurance on Facebook. The company said “Like to Save” discount is a natural extension...
33 Ariz Drivers Arrested For Extreme DUI On July 4
Jul 9 2012 // A statewide task force targeting drunken drivers on the July 4th holiday led to more than 100 arrests. The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says 33 of the 108 arrests were for extreme DUI. That’s...
New License Rules Test Georgia Drivers’ Patience
Jul 9 2012 // A new requirement for those seeking to get or renew a Georgia driver’s license caused long lines and frustration in its first week of implementation. By 7:30 a.m. Friday, hundreds of people had lined up at the...
Great Falls, Mont. Bans Cell Phones For Drivers
Jul 6 2012 // Great Falls banned hand-held cell phones for motorists and cyclists, hoping to make navigating the streets of this central Montana town a bit safer from distracted drivers. The Great Falls Tribune reported commissioners...
Number of Uninsured Drivers on Texas Roads Drops
Jul 5 2012 // The number of uninsured drivers in Texas has dropped more than 38 percent from a year ago, state statistics show, and officials attribute the decline to a program focused on getting those drivers either insured or off the...
South Carolina Judge Adds Bible Reading to Drunk Driving Sentence
Jul 3 2012 // A South Carolina woman whose drunken driving seriously injured two people has been sentenced to eight years in prison, substance abuse counseling, and to read the Bible. The Herald of Rock Hill reported that Cassandra...
More Gen Y’ers Passing on Driving
Jul 2 2012 // To Shoshana Gurian-Sherman, driving seemed like a huge hassle. “Part of it was laziness,” the 23-year-old Minneapolis resident recalled. “I didn’t really want to put in the effort to learn how to...
City Drivers’ Rates Too High, Too Variable, Says Consumer Group
Jul 2 2012 // The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) says that most good drivers — those with no accidents or moving violations — who live in moderate-income areas in 15 cities are being quoted what the group maintains are high...
CFA: Rates for Good Drivers in Cities Too High, Too Variable
Jul 2 2012 // The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) says that most good drivers — those with no accidents or moving violations — who live in moderate-income areas in 15 cities are being quoted what the group maintains are high...
