Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama House Passes Ban on Driver Texting
Jan 15 2010 // The Alabama Legislature has taken the first step toward banning drivers from sending or writing a text message while operating a vehicle on a public road. The House Public Safety Committee approved a bill this week that...
New Jersey Drunken Driver Ignition Lock Bill Approved
Jan 15 2010 // Some first-time drunken drivers will have to install ignition interlock devices under legislation approved by both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. The Assembly and Senate both overwhelmingly passed the bill on...
Alabama Lawmakers Favor Ban on Driver Texting: Poll
Jan 8 2010 // State Rep. Ken Guin says Alabama needs to ban people from text messaging while driving a motor vehicle, and a recent experience with a driver swerving “all over the road” is a reason why. “I started to...
Idaho Schools Among Driving Safety Grant Winners
Jan 4 2010 // Students at two high schools in southwestern Idaho are getting grants to launch campaigns aimed at preventing reckless teen driving. State Farm Insurance says Melba High School and Kuna High School are among the 20 schools...
Car Insurance Premiums to Rise for Many Louisiana Drivers
Dec 31 2009 // A law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010, increasing the required minimum liability auto insurance coverage is expected to increase insurance rates for more than 1 million Louisiana motorists. Though the change was...
Minnesota Man Held on 18th Drunk Driving Arrest
Dec 29 2009 // A 55-year-old St. Paul man remains jailed after his 18th arrest on drunken driving charges. The Minnesota State Patrol said he crashed his car on Highway 61 and Interstate 494 in Newport around 6:30 p.m. last...
Wisconsin Teen Drivers Buckling Up More Than They Used To
Dec 29 2009 // Wisconsin teenagers are buckling up more than they used to. A new survey of the state’s high school students shows that only 15 percent say they rarely or never wear a seat belt when in a car driven by another...
States Get Tough on Distracted Drivers in 2010
Dec 29 2009 // Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire and Oregon will bring in the new year with new state laws aimed at cracking down on distracted driving, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). Of the four...
Florida Driver’s Licenses Have New ID Requirements
Dec 23 2009 // Renewing or updating information on driver’s licenses in Florida will get tougher after Dec. 31. After that, the state will require additional proof of identity and place of residence. It’s part of the federal...
Kentucky Bans State Workers From Texting While Driving
Dec 22 2009 // Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has banned state employees from sending text messages while driving government-owned vehicles. Beshear issued an executive order that says he took the step in an effort to reduce the number of...
Three Key Drivers of Lead Conversion
Dec 22 2009 // The importance of converting leads is clear to anyone who understands the concept of ROI (return on investment). The internet has changed the game in insurance sales, and anyone thinking that the old business models will...
Erie, Pennsylvania Bans Cell Phone Use While Driving
Dec 18 2009 // Northwestern Pennsylvania’s largest city has banned hand-held cell phone use by those driving vehicles or riding bicycles. Erie City Council approved the measure this Wednesday. Mayor Joe Sinnott says he’ll...
Fireman’s Fund Offers Allianz Brand Personal Auto Insurance in 11 States
Dec 17 2009 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund is launching an Allianz Personal Auto Policy in 11 states, with plans to offer the coverage in more states by the end of 2010. The policy initially will be available in Arizona,...
Michigan House, Senate Pass Bills Banning Texting While Driving
Dec 10 2009 // The Michigan House has voted to prohibit the use of cell phones to send text messages while driving. The main bill in the package passed the House by a 94-13 vote Tuesday. A similar measure passed a Senate committee...
Drunk Driving Death Rates Decline in 40 States
Dec 9 2009 // Drunken driving fatality rates have fallen in 40 states and the District of Columbia, an encouraging sign that crackdowns are improving highway safety. The Transportation Department said that 11,773 people were killed in...
Councilor Proposes Ban on Texting While Driving in Boston
Dec 9 2009 // A Boston city councilor is hoping his proposal to ban drivers from sending text messages will spur a statewide ban on a practice most consider dangerous. John Tobin says he expects his fellow councilors to sign off on the...
Georgia Officials Cite Eating While Driving In Fatal Collision
Dec 7 2009 // Officials in Forsyth County, Georgia say a 48-year-old woman who was killed in a highway collision may have lost control of he car because she was eating. Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Shelton says Rhonda D. McGinnis of...
Distracted Driving: Cell Phone Bans May Not Be Effective
Dec 6 2009 // While cell phone use increases the risk for vehicle accidents, research has not yet verified that banning such devices improves driving performance, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The...
Missouri Lawmakers Propose to Ban All Texting-While-Driving
Dec 4 2009 // After Missouri’s youngest drivers were told to quit sending cell phone text messages, lawmakers are going after everybody else. Several lawmakers have filed bills for the 2010 legislative session that starts Jan. 6...
Rhode Island Strengthens Drunken Driving Laws
Dec 1 2009 // Police in Rhode Island can force motorists who are suspected of driving drunk and are involved in serious car crashes to submit to blood-alcohol testing under a new law. Police and state prosecutors are praising the law,...
