Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Driving Deaths Continue to Decline in Arizona
Aug 31 2011 // Arizona’s transportation department says that driving-related deaths continued to decline last year. The Department of Transportation’s “2010 Crash Facts” report shows that 762 people were killed in...
Michigan Lets Drivers Renew Licenses Online Close to Expiration
Aug 25 2011 // A new state policy will let Michigan drivers renew their vehicle registrations online through their birthdays even if they do it close to the expiration. The Michigan Secretary of State’s office said it used to warn...
Fatal Crash Spotlights New Jersey’s Teen Driving Law
Aug 25 2011 // A New Jersey law barring drivers under 18 from having more than one passenger is in the spotlight after an SUV driven by a 17-year-old and carrying seven teenagers crashed. The driver and three passengers died in last...
Survey Says Washington Drivers Go Slow to Save
Aug 19 2011 // A recent poll from Northwest insurer PEMCO Insurance reveals that while a majority of drivers say they take steps to reduce the amount of gas they use, about eight out of 10 drivers in Washington and the greater Portland...
State Farm to Monitor Some Drivers, Adjust Rates
Aug 11 2011 // State Farm Insurance plans to give its Illinois customers a chance to lower, or raise, their rates depending on their driving habits. The Bloomington-based insurer said that in September it will start putting a monitoring...
Minnesota Police Ticket 21 for Driving 100 MPH
Aug 11 2011 // The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said it ticketed 21 motorists for driving more than 100 mph and 72 drivers for going more than 90 mph during a stepped-up speeding enforcement campaign in July. State Patrol Lt....
Americans Support National Law on Teen Driving: Survey
Aug 9 2011 // Nearly six in 10 Americans favor a federal law that would impose driving restrictions on teen drivers and institute a graduated driving license system. A recent national survey from Allstate Insurance shows that support...
Ark. High Court: Policy Does Not Limit Insurer’s Liability in Uninsured Driver Case
Aug 4 2011 // The Arkansas Supreme Court has denied an insurer’s appeal of a lower court finding that the language of its insurance policy at issue in a case involving an underinsured driver is ambiguous. Philadelphia Indemnity...
North Dakota Ban on Texting While Driving Takes Effect
Aug 2 2011 // North Dakota’s ban on texting while driving is now in effect. More than 30 states so far have approved laws against motorists sending text messages when they’re behind the wheel. Until now in North Dakota, only...
Survey: Americans Think They Are Great Drivers; Habits Show Otherwise
Aug 2 2011 // The majority of Americans consider themselves to be good drivers but their habits on the road tell a different story. American drivers believe their own driving knowledge, ability and safe driving habits are well above...
Florida Governor Suggests Making PIP Coverage Optional for Drivers
Aug 2 2011 // Florida drivers should have the option to forgo purchasing what is now mandatory auto personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, says Gov. Rick Scott. Following the failure of lawmakers this year to reform the...
Alabama Hikes Penalty for Driving Without Liability Insurance
Aug 2 2011 // Alabama drivers are facing stiffer penalties for failing to have liability insurance under a bill recently signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley. In 2001, state lawmakers required all state drivers to carry motor vehicle...
Safe Driving Habits Pay Off for Consumers with Usage-Based Insurance Programs
Aug 1 2011 // The driving habits of personal auto consumers are shaping the way carriers price coverage today. Those carriers providing usage-based insurance (UBI) options, including telematic systems or devices to monitor an...
Poll Says Washington Drivers Do Not Know Left-Lane Law
Jul 21 2011 // Forty-three percent of drivers in Washington State do not know that it is illegal to impede the flow of traffic in the left lane of a highway, according to a survey by Pemco Mutual Insurance Co., Seattle. “Camping...
Massachusetts Reports Decline in Drunk Driving Arrests
Jul 21 2011 // The state Registry of Motor Vehicles says the number of drunken driving arrests has declined in Massachusetts in the past five years. The agency’s numbers show there were 14,834 OUI (operating under the influence)...
Texas Troopers: Special Enforcement Gets Drunk Drivers Off Roads
Jul 20 2011 // Texas Highway Patrol troopers arrested 1,406 intoxicated drivers during a special July 4 holiday enforcement program from June 27 through July 6 across the state. Of the 1406 arrests, 575 were made by troopers whose...
Alaska Repeat Drunk Driver Seeks Retrial Due to Ad
Jul 19 2011 // A repeat drunken driver who was convicted of consuming at least a dozen drinks and causing a deadly head-on crash is seeking a new trial because of a public service announcement that aired over 1,400 times during her...
L.A. Escapes ‘Carmageddon’ as Drivers Stay Home
Jul 18 2011 // When Caltrans announced that it planned to close the busy 405 freeway July 15 to 18, the local populace immediately went into panic mode. The Interstate, which links the San Fernando Valley with West Los Angeles and points...
Arkansas Begins ‘Don’t Text While Driving’ Campaign
Jul 18 2011 // Arkansas motorists are about to get a steady stream of reminders that it can be deadly to text while behind the wheel. Digital message boards across the state will bear the message, “Stay Alive, Don’t Text and...
Beware the Aggressive Truck Driver
Jul 18 2011 // Aggressive truck drivers are nearly three times more likely to have a collision than drivers who are drowsy, a recent study suggests. San Diego, Calif.-based DriveCam’s Driving Insights Series analyzed the difference...
