Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Alabama Law Targets Drivers Without Insurance
Dec 26 2012 // The owners of the 900,000 Alabama vehicles without liability insurance stand a better chance of getting caught starting Jan. 1. That’s when the state will start enforcing a law designed to crack down on motorists who...
Allstate: Texas Car Crashes Spike More than 20% Around the Holidays
Dec 18 2012 // More Texans crash their cars during the holiday season than any other time of the year, according to an Allstate Insurance Co. review of its claims data over the five year period between 2006 and 2010. The number of auto...
States Urged to Require Ignition Locks for Drunk Drivers
Dec 14 2012 // A federal safety board is recommending that all states require ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders. The five-member National Transportation Safety Board said the devices...
Conn. to Require New Adult Drivers to Hold 3-Month Learner’s Permit
Dec 10 2012 // The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles announced last week that new adult drivers 18 and older will be required to hold a three-month learner’s permit before taking a road test for a driver’s license. The...
GOP Support Helps Move Illinois Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Dec 6 2012 // A plan that would allow illegal immigrants in Illinois to get driver’s licenses cleared another hurdle on Dec. 4, with the state Senate approving the measure hours after Republican leaders in the General Assembly...
Top Illinois Republicans Back Immigrants’ Drivers’ Licenses
Dec 5 2012 // Top Illinois Republicans have announced their support for providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno joined former GOP...
Mostly Verbal Warnings, not Tickets, to Texting Texas Drivers
Dec 3 2012 // A year since it began enforcing a ban on texting while driving, a North Texas city says awareness has increased despite the small number of tickets written. Arlington police have issued 49 citations to drivers who were...
Women with Driver’s Licenses Now Outnumber Men
Dec 3 2012 // Women have passed men on the nation’s roads. More women than men now have driver’s licenses, a reversal of a longtime gender gap behind the wheel that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and...
Illinois Senate Panel OKs Drivers Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
Dec 2 2012 // Supporters of licensing illegal immigrants to drive say it would make Illinois roads safer with trained motorists required to carry insurance. The Senate Executive Committee voted 12-2 to advance the plan for some of the...
Texting Driver Gets Prison in Ohio Fatal Crash
Nov 30 2012 // An Ohio driver distracted by a text message when he caused a fatal crash has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison. A judge in southern Ohio’s Jackson County sentenced 31-year-old Christopher Haines on Nov....
Lawsuit: Fedex Fires Utah Driver Over Russian Accent
Nov 30 2012 // A Utah truck driver alleges FedEx fired him because of his Russian accent, even though he offered to appear before corporate higher-ups to demonstrate his English-speaking abilities. Ismail Aliyev has filed a federal...
Florida Leads States in Ticketing Speeding Drivers: Study
Nov 29 2012 // Speeding drivers are more likely to get ticketed in the Sunshine State than in any other state, according to a new study from CarInsuranceQuotes.com, an auto insurance services provider. In 2011, Florida police handed out...
Indiana Truck Driver Logs 3 Million Miles of Safety
Nov 29 2012 // The distance around the Earth at the equator is 24,901 miles. By Kokomo, Ind.-based truck driver Richard Batt’s estimate, he could have driven around the planet nearly 24,100 times. And he would have done it all in a...
High-Security Driver’s License Runs Into Opposition in States
Nov 27 2012 // It was a popular idea five years ago: make sure every state had high-security driver’s licenses to thwart terrorism at airports. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Real ID system faces opposition...
Arlington, Texas Issues Few Tickets to Texting Drivers
Nov 25 2012 // A year since it began enforcing a ban on texting while driving, a North Texas city says awareness has increased despite the small number of tickets written. Arlington police have issued 49 citations to drivers who were...
Drugged Driving Bigger Problem Than Drunk Driving in California
Nov 21 2012 // A statewide survey shows there are more drugged drivers than drunken drivers on California roads during the weekend. The California Office of Traffic Safety said Monday that 14 percent of drivers surveyed tested positive...
Why Driving Over Thanksgiving Week Is Dangerous: Alabama Study
Nov 21 2012 // Thanksgiving week is a dangerous time to be on the road, although it is becoming safer. Speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, time of day and weather all contribute to more fatal crashes throughout the year,...
Women with Driver’s Licenses Now Outnumber Men
Nov 20 2012 // Women have passed men on the nation’s roads. More women than men now have driver’s licenses, a reversal of a longtime gender gap behind the wheel that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and...
New Mexico Offers Driver’s License Identifying Veterans
Nov 19 2012 // New Mexico is adding a feature on its driver’s licenses to indicate that someone is a veteran. State officials said Friday the designation will make it easier for veterans to provide proof they served in the military...
Oklahoma Cracking Down on Uninsured Drivers in Tulsa Area
Nov 19 2012 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office have teamed up to address Oklahoma’s uninsured driver problem. Law enforcement officers from both agencies will work together to...
