Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Council Formed with Goal of Changing Ohio’s Distracted Driving Culture
Apr 29 2019 // Gov. Mike DeWine says a newly formed council will develop a plan to change the distracted driving culture in Ohio. The Republican governor this week announced creation of the Distracted Driving Advisory Council. The...
Getting Americans to Stop Using Phones While Driving
Apr 29 2019 // The distracted driving report by Zendrive, a traffic-data startup, makes it clearer and clearer each year that millions of Americans can’t stop themselves from talking, texting and livestreaming—yes, even using...
Florida Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
Apr 29 2019 // Texting while driving would become a primary traffic offense along with talking on a handheld cellphone in school and construction zones under a bill passed by the Florida Senate. The Senate’s 33-5 vote on Thursday...
Arizona Becomes 48th State with Cellphone-Driving Law
Apr 25 2019 // Arizona ended a decade of resistance to restrictions on using a cellphone while driving when Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law this week outlawing holding a phone behind the wheel. It is now the 48th state to ban texting and...
Cops Draw Blood to Catch Impaired Drivers
Apr 23 2019 // It was about 6:30 on a Friday night in January when Phoenix Police Det. Kemp Layden pulled over a white Jeep Cherokee that was speeding and weaving in and out of its lane. The 47-year-old driver spoke slowly, his eyes were...
Car Sharing Lobbyists Battle Car Renting Lobbyists, Driving State Lawmakers Crazy
Apr 19 2019 // The bill that turned Illinois into the focal point of a bitter debate over car-sharing last year started as a proposal about what happens when a rental car is stolen. The legislation, which would allow rental companies to...
Driving in Georgia While Sitting in California; Remote Control Beats Autonomy
Apr 18 2019 // For four days in February, Ben Shukman showed up to his office at Phantom Auto in Mountain View, California, sat down in front of a bank of computer screens with a steering wheel in a darkened room, and began driving. As...
Digital or Plastic? Or Both? States Experiment with Driver’s Licenses
Apr 17 2019 // Millions of people may be able to show their smartphones rather than a plastic card to prove they’re legit to drive, vote or buy a beer in coming years. Louisiana in July became the first state to make digital...
Proposed Bill Would End Texas’ Controversial Driver Responsibility Program
Apr 15 2019 // Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) would be repealed under a bill considered by the Senate Finance Committee, the state Senate reported. The program has been heavily criticized for the financial burden it...
California to Consider Allowing Small Self-Driving Delivery Trucks on Roads
Apr 15 2019 // California regulators have proposed regulations that would allow vehicle manufacturers to test or deploy small self-driving delivery trucks on public roads, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said in a...
Florida Could Expand Self-Driving Car Law
Apr 10 2019 // Self-driving vehicles could be operated in Florida without a human backup under a bill approved by a House committee last week, which could pave the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy fleets of driverless...
Michigan Commission: THC Level Not a ‘Reliable Indicator’ of Driving Impairment
Apr 2 2019 // A state commission says Michigan should not set a legal limit for how much of marijuana’s active ingredient motorists can have in their system. The Impaired Driving Safety Commission recently forwarded its findings...
North Carolina Personal Auto Rates to Increase by 1.6%
Apr 1 2019 // The North Carolina Rate Bureau has reached a settlement with the North Carolina Department of Insurance to raise personal auto insurance rates by 1.6 percent, according to a statement by NCDOI. The NCRB, which is not a...
Rates, Lower Loss Frequency, Innovation Drove Personal Auto Market Turnaround
Mar 29 2019 // After a weakened performance in 2015-2016, the U.S. private passenger auto segment has turned around as rate actions and underwriting initiatives have driven a 3.8-point year-over-year improvement in the sector’s...
Oregon Ponders Giving Driving Privileges to Undocumented Immigrants
Mar 28 2019 // Every time Mariana Alvarez leaves her home, she crosses herself in prayer in hopes she will be able to return to her three children. Alvarez moved to Salem from Mexico, and lives in Oregon without proof of legal residence....
Distracted Driving Habit Is Proving Tough for Americans to Break
Mar 28 2019 // Nearly eight in 10 consumers talk on the phone while driving and more than 30 percent admit to having been in a near-miss crash because they were distracted. Also, although distracted driving poses potential liability...
ISO Offers Policy Rule, Rating Factors for Insuring Cars with Driver Assist Features
Mar 27 2019 // ISO has introduced a new policy manual rule and rating factors to help auto insurers underwrite and price coverage for the growing number of cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). ISO provides forms, rules...
Washington City Planning Big Driver Bike, Pedestrian Safety Changes
Mar 26 2019 // A Washington city is planning changes to make streets safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Bellingham residents can expect to see substantial changes to thoroughfares over the next few months as the city...
Errors a Problem for Oklahoma Program Targeting Uninsured Drivers
Mar 25 2019 // Nearly 5 percent of vehicles flagged as uninsured in Oklahoma were identified by error, according to a prosecutor who leads a new program that includes automatic license plate readers. The Oklahoma District Attorneys...
NTSB Says Impaired Truck Driver Likely Cause of GOP Train Crash in Virginia
Mar 25 2019 // A trash truck driver who had marijuana in his system likely caused a fatal collision last year with an Amtrak train that was carrying Republican lawmakers, federal investigators concluded. The National Transportation...
