Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fixing Ride-Hailing Will Take Fewer But Better Drivers, More Money: Viewpoint
Nov 13 2019 // Your mother probably told you never to get in a car with a stranger. The multibillion-dollar global ride-hailing industry depends on your ignoring her. If they want to earn that trust, though, companies need to rethink the...
Uber’s Self-Driving Car That Killed Pedestrian Lacked Tech to Detect Jaywalkers
Nov 7 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc.’s self-driving test car that struck and killed a pedestrian last year wasn’t programmed to recognize and react to jaywalkers, according to documents released by U.S. safety...
New Oklahoma Law Allows Use of School Bus Cameras to Ticket Drivers
Nov 6 2019 // New legislation in Oklahoma that allows law enforcement to use cameras on school buses to track down drivers who illegally pass stopped buses went into effect on Nov. 1. House Bill 1926, by Rep. Dell Kerbs (R-Shawnee) and...
More than 5K Minnesota Motorists Cited for Using Cellphones While Driving
Oct 28 2019 // State officials say more than 5,000 citations have been issued to drivers in Minnesota since a hands-free law took effect in August. The new law makes it illegal to use a cellphone while driving. Department of Public...
Idaho City Bans Handheld Phone Use While Driving
Oct 28 2019 // One of the largest cities in Idaho has banned the use of a hand-held phone while driving. Meridian’s city council approved the ordinance last week, prohibiting the use of hand-held devices any time a vehicle is in a...
New Jersey Woman Critically Hurt in Car Crash Receives $4.5M Settlement
Oct 18 2019 // A New Jersey woman who was permanently injured in a crash last year with a volunteer firefighter answering a fire call has settled a lawsuit for $4.6 million. NJ.com reports that 56-year-old Melinda Baker, of Manuta,...
U.S. Safety Board Wants to Learn Cause of Fatal Uber Autonomous Car Crash
Oct 18 2019 // The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a Nov. 19 hearing to determine the probable cause of a March 2018 Uber Technologies Inc. self-driving vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The...
Florida Law Banning Cellphones While Driving in School, Construction Zones Takes Effect
Oct 2 2019 // Better keep your hands off that cellphone if you are driving near a school or through a construction zone in Florida. As of Tuesday, it is against the law to hold a cellphone while driving in those places. Florida earlier...
Des Moines, Iowa, to Pay $90K to Settle Suit Over Man Killed by Fleeing Driver
Sep 30 2019 // Des Moines, Iowa, will pay $90,000 to settle a lawsuit over the death of a man killed when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a car being chased by police. The City Council has approved settling the October 2017...
1 Simple Step to Lose Customers if That’s What You Want
Sep 25 2019 // There’s something wrong with the insurance buying process. That’s not really accurate. There’s a lot wrong with the insurance buying process. Specifically, the process of getting personal auto insurance...
Uber Must Show London Regulator Its Drivers Are Insured, Trained, for License Renewal
Sep 25 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. has been granted a two-month license to operate in London as the ride-hailing app makes stuttering progress in winning over the city’s regulator. Transport for London had previously declined to...
Mississippi Woman Ordered to Pay $2M Over Car Crash Caused by Loose Donkey
Sep 25 2019 // A Mississippi woman whose loose donkey caused a fatal car crash has been ordered to pay more than $2 million in a wrongful death lawsuit last month. The Greenwood Commonwealth reports K.K. Henderson Kent was sued by Sandra...
Michigan Classic Auto Insurer, Hagerty, Driving Into the Future
Sep 23 2019 // Traverse City, Michigan-based Hagerty is evolving to adapt to a changing automotive world. “Our mission as a business is to save driving and car culture for future generations,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO....
Chubb Personal Auto Service Protects Insured Info for Total Loss Vehicles
Sep 18 2019 // Chubb has launched a new service designed to help personal auto clients remove sensitive electronic information from their vehicles in the event of an insured total loss. “While hands-free GPS and mobile connectivity...
Fairmatic Bets On Driver-Driven Premium Adjustments to Score in Commercial Auto
Sep 17 2019 // Managing general agent (MGA) Fairmatic has introduced a usage-based insurance model that features monthly commercial auto premium adjustments based on an insured’s driving behaviors. Fairmatic’s...
TDI Offers Guidance on New Ban on Named Driver Policies
Sep 16 2019 // The Texas Department of Insurance has issued a bulletin providing guidance on House Bill 259, passed during the 2019 legislative session, that prohibits insurers from delivering, issuing for delivery, or renewing named...
Amazon Under Scrutiny Over Claims of Unsafe Conditions for Delivery Drivers
Sep 16 2019 // Three U.S. senators on Thursday said Amazon.com Inc should stop working with delivery contractors that violate labor laws by imposing unfair conditions on drivers delivering packages for the e-commerce company. The...
Oregon Teen Who Lost His Leg in DUI Accident Sues Driver, Brewery
Sep 16 2019 // An Oregon teen who lost his leg in a car wreck is suing the driver who crashed into him — along with the Salem brewery accused of over-serving the driver- for $3.5 million. James Holland Jr., along with his parents,...
Arch Nemesis of Uber over Driver Pay Sues Before New California Law Inked
Sep 13 2019 // It didn’t take long for attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan to deploy a new weapon in her six-year war with Uber Technologies Inc. over driver pay. Within hours of Uber thumbing its nose at a pending California labor law...
Uber Refusing to Label Drivers as Employees Under California Law
Sep 12 2019 // Facing the most serious threat yet to its business model, Uber Technologies Inc. is dusting off a legal argument it has employed with mixed results: that it’s a technology platform, not a transportation company. Now,...
