Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Bans Texting While Driving; Targets Teens
Jun 7 2010 // Put down the cell phone and step away from the car. Georgia drivers soon will be banned from texting, checking e-mail or using the Internet behind the wheel and teens will be prohibited from using their cell phones at all...
20% of Drivers Would Flunk Test
Jun 7 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Texting While Driving Ban Now Law in Vermont
Jun 2 2010 // It’s now illegal to text while driving in Vermont. Gov. Jim Douglas signed the ban into law Tuesday at the Montpelier High School, joining at least 25 states that have banned the practice. The measure also bans the...
Road Hazard: 20% of U.S. Drivers Would Flunk If Given Driving Test
May 27 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Rhode Island Offers Hearings for 1,500 Suspended Drivers
May 21 2010 // Hundreds of drivers who had their licenses suspended without being told why can keep driving until they get a hearing to resolve the issue, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles said. The American Civil Liberties...
Few New Jersey Teens Are Complying with New Driver-Decal Law, State Says
May 17 2010 // Few New Jersey teen drivers are complying with the nation’s first law that requires them to display decals on their license plates. Fewer than one in four had purchased the decals when the new law went into effect...
Californians Urged to Spot Early Indicators of Risky Elderly Drivers
May 11 2010 // Stubbornness, aggressive behavior and forgetfulness could be clues that an aging motorist may need to curb their driving, according to the Insurance Information Network of California. IINC is advising the insurance...
Cell Phones Raise Teen Nighttime Driving Risks in Texas, Nationally
May 7 2010 // Nighttime driving is becoming more hazardous for American teenagers and the likely cause is talking and texting on cell phones while operating a vehicle, according to a study released May 6. The report by the Texas...
Vermont Lawmakers to Ban Driving While Texting
May 6 2010 // Vermont lawmakers want to put an S-T-O-P to drivers who text. Under a deal reached Tuesday between lawmakers, texting by drivers of any age will be banned, starting this summer. And the bill that says so goes a step...
Four More Massachusetts Insurers Settle over Driving Records
May 6 2010 // Nearly 10,000 Massachusetts drivers’ records will be corrected after four insurers reached settlements with the state over their failure to do so. Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office reached settlements...
Few New Jersey Teens Comply with Driver Decal Law
May 5 2010 // Few New Jersey teen drivers are complying with the nation’s first law that requires them to display decals on their license plates. Fewer than one in four had purchased decals when the new law went into effect on...
Bills Banning Handheld Phones While Driving Pass Louisiana Committee
Apr 29 2010 // Two bills that would ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving have breezed out of the Louisiana House of Representatives Transportation Committee. Both would allow drivers to talk using hands-free devices. One...
Spat Over Negligence Presumption Kills Alabama Texting Driver Ban
Apr 28 2010 // Drivers can keep sending text messages while traveling Alabama’s highways because a fight between an insurance company and lawyers in the state Senate killed a bill to ban the dangerous practice. Democratic Sen....
Florida CEOs Urge ‘Cost Driver’ Reforms as Legislature Nears End
Apr 21 2010 // The Florida-Based Property Insurers CEO Group, representing 21 carriers, held a media conference today to discuss legislation to address the problems in the state’s property insurance market. The group downplayed the...
Kansas State University: Crashes Caused by Older Drivers Often Severe
Apr 15 2010 // Kansas State University researchers are discovering the challenges aging creates for drivers. To help improve traffic safety, K-State engineers identified the characteristics of older drivers in Kansas and the types of...
Oklahoma Gov. Signs Legislation on Distracted Driving
Apr 14 2010 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has signed into law a piece of legislation that will allow law enforcement to cite drivers who drive dangerously while using their cell phone, but prohibit them from initiating a traffic stop...
Parents, Drivers Want Tougher Driving Laws for Teens, Poll Says
Apr 13 2010 // Washington drivers want stricter penalties for teen drivers who violate Washington’s intermediate license law, a recent poll by PEMCO Insurance revealed. The poll, taken by the state’s largest insurance company...
Maryland Lawmakers Ban Hand-Held Phones While Driving
Apr 12 2010 // Maryland drivers will have to use handsfree devices to talk on cell phones while driving under legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly on Friday. The House of Delegates voted 125-14 to pass a measure already...
Kentucky Gov. Beshear to Sign Bill Banning Texting While Driving
Apr 6 2010 // Motorists in Kentucky would face fines if caught texting while driving under legislation that lawmakers are heralding as a lifesaving measure. The legislation cleared its final hurdle last week when the House passed it by...
Island Insurance Lowers Personal Auto Rates 3.5%
Apr 2 2010 // Honolulu-based Island Insurance has lowered its personal auto insurance rates an average of up to 3.5 percent, depending upon coverage limits, rating company and territory.The reduced rates will affect personal auto...
