Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Huntsville Becomes 6th Alabama City to Ban Texting While Driving
Jul 26 2010 // Huntsville has become the sixth Alabama city to ban sending text messages while driving. Beginning Sept. 20, it will be illegal to send text messages or check e-mail while driving in the Huntsville city limits. The...
Mississippi City Mulls Ban on Texting While Driving
Jul 23 2010 // The north Mississippi city of Columbus is considering a local ban on texting while driving. Mayor Robert Smith and council members have asked the city attorney to research the issue and present some possible options for an...
Drivers Beware: Lindsay Lohan Offers Lessons in Auto Insurance
Jul 21 2010 // In all the commotion of Lindsay Lohan’s fall from grace, little attention has been paid to the impact her risky behavior will have on her insurance — auto, home, life, and health. But consumers can learn from...
Poll: More New Jersey Drivers Are Texting
Jul 20 2010 // More New Jersey motorists surveyed say they’re texting behind the wheel and speeding. But the Garden State residents believe New York motorists are the worst drivers. Some 25 percent of New Jersey motorists surveyed...
Kentucky Texting While Driving Ban Takes Effect
Jul 19 2010 // Texting while driving is no longer allowed in Kentucky. The practice became illegal on Thursday, as the new law banning the practice takes effect. A statement from Gov. Steve Beshear’s office says Kentucky had more...
Birmingham Bans Texting While Driving
Jul 15 2010 // Birmingham has banned texting while driving. The Birmingham City Council voted unanimously to set a $100 fine for drivers caught texting. Councilman Johnathan Austin, chairman of the council’s public safety...
Toyota Says Drivers, Not Throttle, to Blame for Unintended Acceleration
Jul 14 2010 // Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday its investigation of nearly 2,000 cases of unintended acceleration had found no problem with its electronic throttle system, and that driver error was to blame in some cases. The...
Tennessee Sees Few Citations Under Year-Old Texting While Driving Law
Jul 12 2010 // Police across Tennessee are writing few citations under the year-old texting-while-driving law. The statute went into effect in July 2009, allowing officers to write tickets to drivers they catch sending cell phone text...
Researchers Building Car for Blind Drivers
Jul 7 2010 // Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to make that far-fetched notion a reality. The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped with...
Indiana Man Seeks Tougher Rules for Mo-Ped Drivers
Jul 7 2010 // An Indiana man whose son was seriously hurt in a mo-ped accident is urging state lawmakers to crack down on use of the vehicles. Arthur Jewell said his son had lost his driver’s license for driving while intoxicated...
20% of Drivers Would Flunk Test
Jul 5 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Kansas, Oregon, South Dakota and Minnesota, while the least knowledgeable are in California, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. That’s according to...
Texas DPS Takes 1,738 Vehicles, 160 Drivers Off the Road
Jun 30 2010 // During the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Roadcheck 2010, which ran from June 8 through June 10, DPS troopers inspected 6,906 commercial vehicles. Twenty-five percent of them, or 1,738, were placed out of...
Michigan Police Face Challenge of Enforcing Text-Driving Ban
Jun 28 2010 // When Michigan’s ban on texting while driving takes effect Thursday, July 1, police will be able to pull over motorists solely for using their cell phones to send or look at text messages or e-mails. Some in law...
Iowa Texting While Driving Ban Takes Effect July 1
Jun 28 2010 // Iowa motorists will face new restrictions aimed at cutting down on distractions beginning July 1. A new law that bans adults from reading, writing and sending text messages goes into effect Thursday. The law also bans...
Michigan Billboards Remind Drivers to ‘Txt Back L8R’
Jun 24 2010 // Billboards going up around Michigan are reminding drivers to hold off on text messaging. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said that the billboards in major metropolitan areas will carry the phrase text back...
Tennessee Takes Gradual Approach to Reducing Teen Driving Deaths
Jun 16 2010 // A state official says Tennessee has made some headway in reducing traffic fatalities among teens. Phillip Doss, director of the state’s Offices of Research and Educational Accountability, commented to The Tennessean...
Enforcing South Carolina’s Drunk Driving Laws Requires Patience
Jun 15 2010 // Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Joel Frazier is a good listener. Frazier, a 12-year law enforcement veteran, has worked for the South Carolina county sheriff’s office as a patrol deputy for six years. Last...
Ohio Judge Nixes Driving Record Fee
Jun 10 2010 // A judge has struck down a higher motor vehicle fee charged to trucking and insurance companies, saying it violates Ohio’s constitution. Lawmakers last year raised the fee on certified copies of driving records from...
Massachusetts City Seeks Texting While Driving Ban
Jun 9 2010 // Springfield, Massachusetts has taken a step toward banning texting while driving. The city council on Monday passed a home rule petition by a 12-1 margin that would allow police to fine anyone who sends or receives text...
Delaware Police Target Aggressive Driving
Jun 8 2010 // State officials are warning motorists that police are cracking down on aggressive driving in Delaware. The Delaware Office of Highway Safety says 11 state, county and municipal police agencies will conduct patrols this...
