Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law Takes Effect
Mar 9 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law went into effect February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in the...
Drivers at Risk: Why Delivery Apps Might Leave Clients Without Coverage
Mar 9 2020 // Why Delivery Apps Might Leave Clients Without Coverage Just a few years ago, a grocery run or a run to Chick-fil-A was to get something you needed and bring it home. These days, it seems like a run anywhere can include a...
Boise Passes Hand-Held Phone Ban for Drivers
Mar 6 2020 // It’s now illegal to use a hand-held device while driving in Boise. The city council unanimously approved an ordinance banning hand-held cell phone use while driving during a meeting on Tuesday. The new rule means...
South Dakota Legislation Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving Sent to Governor
Mar 5 2020 // A bill passed by the South Dakota Legislature bans the use of smartphones and other electronic communication devices while driving, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) reported. The APCIA supports...
French Court Deals Blow to Uber by Giving Drivers Employee Status
Mar 5 2020 // France’s top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm’s business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits...
Ford to Help Customers Connect to Allstate Insurance Driver Tracking Program
Mar 4 2020 // Allstate Corp. struck a deal with Ford Motor Co. that will allow some of the automaker’s customers to share data with the insurer for its program that tracks mileage. The majority of Ford and Lincoln 2020 model-year...
U.S. Lags Europe in Driver Assist Technology Safety Testing
Mar 2 2020 // Autopilot, Super Cruise and Drive Pilot are different names given to technology that automates steering and braking in a growing number of vehicles, but none of it can safely “pilot” cars without regular human...
Agency M&As: Private Equity Still in Driver’s Seat; Digital Agencies Attract Attention
Mar 2 2020 // The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory in 2019. As many as two-thirds of all deals involved private equity, according to experts. Most...
Reckless Drivers Could Lose Vehicles Under New NYC Law
Feb 28 2020 // New York City drivers who get five camera-issued red light tickets or 15 camera-issued speeding tickets in a 12-month period will have to take a traffic safety course or risk losing their vehicles under a bill signed by...
Self-Driving EasyMile Shuttles Suspended After Passenger Injury in Ohio
Feb 26 2020 // U.S. vehicle safety regulators on Feb. 25 said they had ordered a suspension of passenger operations for 16 autonomous shuttles operated by France-based EasyMile after a passenger was injured in an unexplained braking...
Parents in South Dakota Plead for Tougher Texting While Driving Penalties
Feb 24 2020 // Jacob William Dahl was a 19-year-old Northern State University student when he was killed after running into the back of a soybean truck while looking at his cellphone. Dahl, a 2013 graduate of Castlewood High School, was...
Deer Sent Flying by Car Crashed into 2nd Car, Killing Driver
Feb 24 2020 // A deer sent flying when it was hit by a car in southeast Iowa crashed through the window of a second car, killing its driver, the Iowa State Patrol said. The accident occurred a little after 7 p.m. Wednesday on Iowa...
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law to Take Effect
Feb 21 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law takes effect this Sunday, February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in...
Ohio Bill Would Make Using Hand-Held Device While Driving a Primary Offense
Feb 19 2020 // A new bill introduced in Ohio would strengthen Ohio’s laws regarding the use of wireless devices, including smartphones, while driving. The Hands-Free Ohio bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and...
The State of Autonomous Driving: Shuttles vs. Moonshots in Big Stakes Race
Feb 19 2020 // May Mobility Inc.’s boxy white-and-green self-driving shuttle pulls up to a damp corner in downtown Detroit. Its big doors swing out revealing a safety driver and six seats that face each other. It’s more...
Five Sue Driver of Trash Truck Struck by GOP Train in 2018
Feb 13 2020 // Two years after a train carrying Republican members of Congress collided with a garbage truck, five passengers have filed lawsuits against the driver, trash company and train conductor. Dana Naylor Jr., 32, was acquitted...
Safety Probe Finds Tesla Driver Killed in Crash Reported Prior Autopilot Problems
Feb 12 2020 // A Tesla driver killed in a March 2018 crash in California while using the Autopilot driver-assistance system had reported that on prior trips, the car had steered away from the highway, the National Transportation Safety...
House Panel to Hold Hearing to Advance Rules on Self-Driving Vehicles
Feb 10 2020 // A U.S. House panel will hold a hearing Tuesday on autonomous vehicles as lawmakers try to hammer out legislation to advance self-driving cars. An Energy and Commerce subcommittee overseeing automotive issues will hear from...
Private Equity Still Driving Agency M&As
Feb 10 2020 // Digital Buys Getting Some Attention; Buyers Getting Bigger; Prices Going Higher; Eyes on Digital The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory...
Michigan Launching Program to Educate Drivers About Auto Insurance Changes
Feb 7 2020 // Michigan’s top insurance regulator said the state is committed to helping drivers navigate a new law that will let motorists save money by foregoing unlimited medical coverage for crash injuries. The state Department...
