Latest Personal Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Police Testify Driver in Deadly Tennessee School Bus Crash was Speeding

Dec 21 2016 // The 24-year-old driver in a Tennessee school bus crash that killed six children was speeding about 20 miles per hour over the 30 mile-per-hour limit, police testified Dec. 14, drawing tears from their families in...

Florida Uber Driver Shoots, Kills Would-Be Robber

Dec 20 2016 // Police say an Uber driver fatally shot a would-be robber who tried to ambush him near an upscale South Florida mall. Aventura police spokesman Chris Goranitis told local media that the driver had picked up a passenger...

Chicago-Area Insurance Agency Owner Fatally Shot While Driving Home

Dec 19 2016 // A long-time insurance agency owner and community leader in the Chicago area was shot while driving home in the early morning hours of Dec. 1. Ronald L. Allen, founder and past president of the A. Allen Insurance Agency...

California Attorney General Warns Uber over Self-Driving Cars

Dec 19 2016 // California Attorney General Kamala Harris has told Uber Technologies Inc. to pull its self-driving cars from San Francisco’s streets or it will seek a court order forcing it do so, saying the ride-hailing company...

California Vs. Uber in Legal Bout over Self-driving Cars

Dec 16 2016 // Uber is riding its self-driving cars into a legal showdown with California regulators. The ridesharing company is refusing to obey demands by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles that it immediately stop picking...

Hartford’s Execs Make Plea to End ‘Real Issue, Real Pain’ of Distracted Driving

Dec 16 2016 // Although small commercial insurance—outside of auto—is a top-line accelerator at The Hartford, auto insurance severity continues hitting the bottom line, say executives who expect a pretax $50 million prior-year...

California Orders Uber to Halt Self-Driving Operations

Dec 15 2016 // California regulators warned ride-hailing company Uber on Wednesday that it would face legal action if it did not immediately stop giving people in San Francisco rides in self-driving cars until it receives permission from...

Uber’s ‘Self-Driving’ Cars Already Roaming Streets of San Francisco

Dec 14 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. continues to dive head first into autonomous vehicles. Just don’t call them that in California. Starting today, Uber is letting customers in San Francisco hop in a self-driving car, if...

School Bus Driver in Fatal Maryland Crash was Speeding, Had Prior Wrecks

Dec 9 2016 // The driver of a Baltimore school bus that careened into a transit bus, killing him and five others, was speeding, had a history of previous crashes and had a seizure the week before, national investigators said...

Uber Drivers in Taiwan Threatened with Fines of $780,000 in Draft Rules

Dec 6 2016 // Investors and companies are getting a preview of how the Taiwan government’s plan to become “Asia’s Silicon Valley” might fare. Uber Technologies Inc., one of Silicon Valley’s most disruptive...

PCI Viewpoint: Role of Government in Automated Driving Revolution

Dec 6 2016 // The following is the viewpoint of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) submitted to a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee at a Nov. 16 hearing on “The Automated &...

Teens and Distracted Driving: Get the Message Campaigns

Dec 5 2016 // Driving my children to school each morning it’s hard not to notice the number of parents attached to their cell phone. While state law prohibits cell phone use in school zones and city law prohibits cell phone use...

How GM’s ‘Super Cruise’ Self-Driving Car Is Evolving

Dec 2 2016 // General Motors Co.’s semi-autonomous “Super Cruise” system will allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel for extended periods, but will stop the vehicle automatically if drivers are not...

Self-Driving Truck Hits the Road in Ohio

Dec 1 2016 // A self-driving truck is scheduled to hit the road in central Ohio in conjunction with an announcement about new state investments to support researching that kind of transportation technology. Officials say the vehicle...

New York Officials Warn Drivers to Watch for Pedestrians

Dec 1 2016 // The city is ramping up pedestrian safety efforts during the annual influx of holiday visitors and decreased daylight hours. Mayor Bill de Blasio, police Commissioner James P. O’Neill and other officials said Tuesday...

Tennessee Bus Driver Likely to Plead Not Guilty in Fatal Crash

Nov 30 2016 // The driver in a Chattanooga, Tenn., school bus crash last week that killed six children will likely plead not guilty to related charges, according to his lawyer. Defense attorney Amanda Dunn said she anticipates...

How to Get Teens to Take Dangers of Distracted Driving Seriously

Nov 29 2016 // A program to educate teens about distracted driving—including a tour of a hospital trauma center and testimony from a trauma survivor—can increase awareness of the dangers of texting, cell phone use, and other...

Complaints About Erratic Driving Before Tennessee Bus Wreck

Nov 28 2016 // Students and administrators raised concerns about a Tennessee school bus driver’s behavior behind the wheel in the weeks before a crash that killed six children. Police have charged driver Johnthony Walker with...

Smartphone Makers Reject Obama Call for Restrictions to Curb Distracted Driving

Nov 28 2016 // U.S. highway safety officials called on smartphone makers to add features that would keep motorists from using functions linked to a surge in deaths due to distracted driving, a proposal that drew immediate opposition from...

U.S. Senator Wants Federal Investigation Into Florida’s Use of Driver Records

Nov 23 2016 // U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson wants a federal investigation of how Florida uses the personal information of its 15 million licensed drivers. The Florida Democrat wrote U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Friday asking her to...