Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senator Presses Tech Firms, Car Makers to Develop Distracted Driving Solutions
Feb 7 2014 // A top U.S. senator is vowing to pursue rules governing in-vehicle use of mobile phones and Internet-connected entertainment systems unless automakers and technology companies do more to reduce driver distractions. Senate...
Alabama Bill Raises Penalties for Drunk Boaters to Same As for Car Drivers
Feb 3 2014 // The Alabama Senate is trying to increase the penalties for alcohol-related boating deaths to the same as deaths caused by drunken car drivers. The Senate voted 18-1 last week for a bill to equalize the penalties. The...
Advocates Push for Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants in Mass.
Jan 28 2014 // The largest immigrant advocacy group in New England is again pushing lawmakers to support a bill that would allow foreign-born residents living in the country illegally to secure Massachusetts driver’s...
Colorado Gets Stoned Driving Prevention Grant
Jan 27 2014 // Colorado plans to advertise the dangers of stoned driving and train more police officers in spotting drivers impaired by marijuana with a new $400,000 federal grant. “It’s ironic we’re using federal...
Texting While Driving Ban Goal of South Dakota Lawmaker
Jan 22 2014 // A South Dakota lawmaker plans to press “send” again and try to persuade his colleagues in the Legislature to join 41 other states and ban texting while driving. Similar measure have failed in recent legislative...
Colorado Gets Stoned Driving Prevention Grant
Jan 14 2014 // Colorado plans to advertise the dangers of stoned driving and train more police officers in spotting drivers impaired by marijuana with a new $400,000 federal grant. “It’s ironic we’re using federal...
Most Fail Test For Driver Authorization Card: Nevada DMV
Jan 7 2014 // Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles officials have advice for immigrants seeking a driver authorization card: study. They estimate 75 percent of applicants have failed the written test needed for the card under a new law...
Texting While Driving Ban Again in New Mexico Lawmaker’s Sights
Jan 7 2014 // Another attempt is being made at the New Mexico Legislature to prohibit texting while driving. Democratic Sen. Peter Wirth of Santa Fe has pre-filed a bill, marking the fifth time a version of a texting-while-driving ban...
Cell Phone, Other Distractions Greater Threat to Teen Drivers
Jan 3 2014 // Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multitask at higher frequency rates – dialing cell phones, eating, and talking to passengers – and therefore...
U.S., Automakers Pursue Drunk Driver Detection Systems
Jan 2 2014 // The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has extended for five years its agreement with automakers to continue researching advanced alcohol detection technology that...
Texas Tries Again to Put Drunk-Driving Teen Behind Bars
Dec 19 2013 // Texas prosecutors are trying a second time to imprison a teen who was sentenced to 10 years’ probation for drunkenly driving his truck into four pedestrians, killing them all. Tarrant County District Attorney Joe...
Tougher Drunk Driving Laws on Way in Colorado
Dec 19 2013 // Colorado drunk driving laws are about to get tougher in 2014. Starting on Jan. 1, any Colorado driver who refuses a sobriety test will be branded a persistent drunk driver. If they want their driver’s license back...
N.Y. Approves Esurance Program Aimed at Preventing Teen Texting and Driving
Dec 18 2013 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration announced it has approved Esurance’s new telematics program designed to help prevent teens from texting while driving. This new voluntary program, called...
One-Fifth of Drinkers Admit Driving When Near or Over Alcohol Limit
Dec 18 2013 // A fifth of U.S. motorists who drink say they’ve driven at least once in the past year when they thought their alcohol level might’ve been close to the legal limit or above it, a safety group said. About 19.5...
Alaska Snowmobile Driver Charged With Felony DUI
Dec 16 2013 // A 29-year-old Wasilla, Alaska man suspected of driving a snowmobile down the Parks Highway has been charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol. Alaska State Troopers say Eric Hunter was arrested Wednesday...
West Virginia Has Ticketed 286 Distracted Drivers Since July
Dec 13 2013 // More than 280 motorists have been cited for distracted driving violations in West Virginia since a law went into effect July 1. The law makes using a handheld cellphone while driving a primary offense. It also bans texting...
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts ‘Soft Insurance Rate Landing’
Dec 12 2013 // U.S. property/casualty insurers’ and brokers’ operating earnings are expected to modestly improve in 2014, and the overall insurance rate increases will “probably moderate into 2015,” said...
Red Rock Insurance to Provide Temporary Coverage for Oklahoma Uninsured Drivers
Dec 5 2013 // Red Rock Insurance Co., an Oklahoma-based business, has been chosen to provide liability coverage for offenders whose license plates were seized for failure to carry state-mandated auto insurance, the Oklahoma Insurance...
California Woman Ticketed For Driving With Google Glasses
Dec 5 2013 // A California woman has pleaded not guilty to what is believed to be the first traffic citation alleging a motorist was using Google’s computer-in-an-eyeglass. The device known as Google Glass, not yet widely...
South Carolina’s Greenville Eyes Driver Cellphone Ban
Dec 5 2013 // Greenville, South Carolina is considering a ban on any use of a cellphone in a driver’s hand. The city has created a task force to look at driving safety. Mayor Pro Tem David Sudduth said Monday they determined just...
