Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Report: Utah is Toughest State for Texting Drivers
Dec 21 2011 // Utah comes out on top of InsuarnceQuote.com’s list of the 10 toughest states for texting while driving. InsuranceQuotes.com reviewed laws of the 35 states that ban text messaging for all drivers. The review took into...
New Indiana Texting-Driving Ban Yields Few Citations
Dec 20 2011 // In its first five months on the books, Indiana’s texting-while-driving ban has led to only a few dozen citations by state troopers — a trend police blame on restrictions in the law that make it difficult for them...
Anchorage Police Nab 148 Drivers Exceeding 100 Mph
Dec 19 2011 // Anchorage police enforcing traffic laws in the past year issued nearly 150 citations to drivers exceeding 100 mph. KTVA-TV reports officers issued 148 citation for drivers who cracked the 100 mph limit. The high mark was a...
Rhode Island Police Step Up Patrols to Crack Down on Drunk Driving
Dec 19 2011 // The Rhode Island State Police are stepping up patrols through the end of the year to crack down on drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Police Superintendent Col. Steven O’Donnell says authorities will...
Governor OKs Bill to End Some Michigan Drivers’ Fees
Dec 16 2011 // Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation that will eliminate some extra fees that are imposed on drivers for certain traffic offenses. Senate Bill 166 repeals pieces of the state’s “driver...
Distracted Driving Stems From More Than Cell Phone Use, Insurers Say
Dec 16 2011 // Using a cell phone while driving is not the only distraction leading to automobile crashes today, says a group of insurance carriers. While the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) call for a national...
National Transportation Board Recommends Ban on Driver Cell Phone Use
Dec 14 2011 // States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member...
Drivers Urged To Use Caution In Northern Arizona
Dec 14 2011 // The Arizona Department of Transportation says a stretch of State Route 260 east of Payson is closed between Star Valley and Heber due to snow-packed and icy conditions. Elsewhere, Interstate 17 is open between the Sedona...
NTSB Focuses on Driver Texting in Missouri Crash
Dec 14 2011 // A texting pickup truck driver who caused a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year has federal accident investigators taking a hard look at the use of distracting devices behind the wheel. The National Transportation...
Government Study: Texting by Drivers Up by Half in 2010
Dec 9 2011 // New federal safety data shows texting while driving increased 50 percent last year, despite a rush by states to ban the practice. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does an annual survey that watches...
70 Million Drivers Missing Out on Car Insurance Savings: Insurer
Dec 8 2011 // More than 70 million drivers in the U.S. potentially are leaving car insurance savings on the table by not taking advantage of usage-based insurance programs that reward drivers who drive safely and during safe times of...
New Study Pushes Tougher Iowa Teen Driving Rules
Dec 7 2011 // A new study says tougher restrictions on Iowa’s teenage drivers could have saved the lives of 32 young drivers in 2009. The Des Moines Register reports that the study report includes suggested standards: requiring...
Graduated Driver Licensing Could Save 2,000 Lives, $13.6 Billion: Study
Dec 7 2011 // If all states implemented comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, an estimated 2,000 lives could be saved. Further, if all 50 states were to enact comprehensive GDL laws, it could generate savings of $13.6...
Insurer Pays in Florida Rental Car Crash
Dec 5 2011 // A rental car customer’s insurer must cover crash injuries, even though an unauthorized driver was behind the wheel. That’s what the Florida Supreme Court decided in a 5-2 opinion recently. The majority ruled in...
Insurance Company Poll: Oregon Drivers Want Harsher Cell Phone Penalties
Dec 5 2011 // According to a poll from PEMCO Insurance, nearly half of Portland-area drivers are upset enough at the prospect of sharing the road with distracted drivers that they believe lawmakers should treat those caught talking,...
Insurer Must Pay for Florida Rental Car Crash by Unauthorized Driver
Nov 28 2011 // A Florida rental car customer’s auto insurer must cover crash injuries, even though the driver was someone not authorized under the rental car company’s contact. In a 5-2 opinion on Nov. 23, the Florida Supreme...
ABI Endorses ‘Tougher Measures’ to Improve Young Drivers’ Safety
Nov 22 2011 // The Association of British Insurers has strongly endorsed “tougher measures to improve young driver safety,” which it explained is “crucial to delivering a better motor insurance deal to...
Insurance Company Poll: Oregon Drivers Want Harsher Penalties for Cell Phone Violators
Nov 16 2011 // According to a poll from PEMCO Insurance, nearly half of Portland-area drivers are upset enough at the prospect of sharing the road with distracted drivers that they believe lawmakers should treat those caught talking,...
New York Students to See Danger of Texting While Driving
Nov 16 2011 // Students in suburban New York are getting a chance to learn the perils of distracted driving without having to worry about an accident or a traffic ticket. A texting-while-driving simulator that resembles an old-fashioned...
Not Enough Drivers Realize Dangers of Drowsy Driving, Insurer Says
Nov 15 2011 // Drunk driving, impaired driving and distracted driving stories frequently make news headlines, but what about drowsy driving? According to the National Sleep Foundation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that...
