Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Digital Signs to Warn Minn. Drivers About Tornadoes
Apr 18 2013 // Digital billboards in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties will be a new way to warn motorists about tornado warnings. The billboard warnings are a joint venture of the counties, billboard owners ClearChannel Outdoor, and the...
Washington Governor Announces Bill To Address Drunken Driving
Apr 18 2013 // Gov. Jay Inslee and a bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a plan that would make changes to the state’s impaired driving laws, including requiring an arrest on the first offense and mandatory jail time if...
Oregon Panel Passes Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Apr 17 2013 // An Oregon Senate committee has advanced a bill granting four-year driver’s licenses to people who can’t prove they’re legally in the United States. The Senate Business and Transportation Committee...
Driver Fatigue Causes 20% of Auto Crashes: Study
Apr 15 2013 // A 100-car “naturalistic” driving study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute says that fatigue is a cause of 20 percent of car crashes, rather than the two or three percent previously...
Concealed Weapons Fuel Debate on Driver’s Licenses in Missouri
Apr 15 2013 // Republican lawmakers’ concerns about new driver’s license procedures in Missouri are being exacerbated by the state’s unique system for marking concealed weapons endorsements. Missouri appears to be the...
Louisiana Bill Would Ban Social Media Posts While Driving
Apr 12 2013 // Hold that Twitter thought. If you are driving in Louisiana, a proposed state law would make it illegal for you to post status updates or anything else to social media websites. With an eye toward closing a loophole in the...
Arkansas Senate Backs Penalties for Fatigued Drivers
Apr 10 2013 // The Arkansas Senate has approved legislation that would allow prosecutors to charge drowsy drivers with negligent homicide when they cause fatal crashes. By a 23-2 vote, the Senate approved a bill that would allow...
Oklahoma Panel OKs Bill Punishing Uninsured Drivers
Apr 5 2013 // An Oklahoma House committee approved a bill on April 2 aimed at preventing uninsured drivers from receiving any monetary damages after auto accidents – even if the accident is someone else’s fault – after...
New Vehicle Safety Ratings Would Reflect New Technologies, Aid Older Drivers
Apr 5 2013 // The U.S. Transportation Department said on Thursday it is looking at ways to expand its vehicle safety ratings in response to rapidly changing technology, including the addition of ratings to help inform older...
Insurer Analyzes Top 10 Driving Distractions Involved in Fatal Car Crashes
Apr 4 2013 // Of the more than 65,000 people in the U.S. killed in car crashes over the past two years, one in 10 were in crashes where at least one of the drivers was distracted, according to an analysis by Erie Insurance. The Erie,...
Seat Belts Not Buckled in 59% of Alabama Car Crash Fatalities
Apr 4 2013 // Alabama Department of Transportation officials said more than half of the people killed in car crashes last year were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. State officials released a report based on...
4 Insurers to Reimburse Mass. Drivers to Settle Allegations of Overcharges
Mar 29 2013 // Four auto insurers have settled allegations that they overcharged Massachusetts consumers relating to auto insurance surcharges that were overturned by the state’s Board of Appeal, or otherwise removed from state...
Ex-New Orleans Policeman Pleads Guilty to Criminal Mischief in Car Crash
Mar 29 2013 // A former New Orleans police officer accused last fall of falsifying a police report to cover up an alleged hit-and-run accident in his personal car has pleaded to a lesser charge. The Times-Picayune reports 39-year-old...
Michigan Drivers to Pay $11 More for Crash-Related Health Care
Mar 29 2013 // An insurance board says the annual fee that Michigan drivers pay for some personal injury costs will increase 6 percent to $186 per year starting July 1. The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association announced the fee. The...
Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Driver’s License Law
Mar 26 2013 // Georgia’s highest court has rejected a Mexican national’s argument that part of a state law that requires a Georgia-issued driver’s license to get behind the wheel is unconstitutional because it...
Safety Effort Targets Missouri’s Older Drivers
Mar 22 2013 // Officials unveiled a public health campaign on March 20 aimed at helping get aging Missouri men and women off the roads when it’s no longer safe for them to drive and at preparing them for life without a license. The...
Oregon Trooper uses Facebook to ID driver
Mar 20 2013 // Oregon State Police say a trooper checked Facebook to determine that a driver whose face didn’t match his license was really a fugitive wanted on felony warrants. Lt. Gregg Hastings says an equipment violation...
Minnesota Bills Would Allow Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
Mar 20 2013 // Bills that would let illegal immigrants get a Minnesota driver’s license are moving forward at the Capitol. The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee has passed a bill to ease restrictions on...
More U.S. Than European Drivers on Phone: Study
Mar 19 2013 // Distracted driving is more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe, according to a study that surveyed drivers about their cellphone and texting habits. More U.S. drivers reported talking on their cellphones behind the wheel...
New Mexico Drunken Driver Explains Suit Against Friend, Restaurants
Mar 15 2013 // A Santa Fe, N.M. man convicted of a fatal 2010 drunken-driving accident says his filing a lawsuit against two restaurants and a drinking buddy doesn’t mean he’s not taking responsibility for his actions. James...
