Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Birmingham Bans Texting While Driving
Jul 15 2010 // Birmingham has banned texting while driving. The Birmingham City Council voted unanimously to set a $100 fine for drivers caught texting. Councilman Johnathan Austin, chairman of the council’s public safety...
Toyota Says Drivers, Not Throttle, to Blame for Unintended Acceleration
Jul 14 2010 // Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday its investigation of nearly 2,000 cases of unintended acceleration had found no problem with its electronic throttle system, and that driver error was to blame in some cases. The...
Tennessee Sees Few Citations Under Year-Old Texting While Driving Law
Jul 12 2010 // Police across Tennessee are writing few citations under the year-old texting-while-driving law. The statute went into effect in July 2009, allowing officers to write tickets to drivers they catch sending cell phone text...
Researchers Building Car for Blind Drivers
Jul 7 2010 // Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to make that far-fetched notion a reality. The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped with...
Indiana Man Seeks Tougher Rules for Mo-Ped Drivers
Jul 7 2010 // An Indiana man whose son was seriously hurt in a mo-ped accident is urging state lawmakers to crack down on use of the vehicles. Arthur Jewell said his son had lost his driver’s license for driving while intoxicated...
20% of Drivers Would Flunk Test
Jul 5 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Kansas, Oregon, South Dakota and Minnesota, while the least knowledgeable are in California, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. That’s according to...
Texas DPS Takes 1,738 Vehicles, 160 Drivers Off the Road
Jun 30 2010 // During the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Roadcheck 2010, which ran from June 8 through June 10, DPS troopers inspected 6,906 commercial vehicles. Twenty-five percent of them, or 1,738, were placed out of...
Michigan Police Face Challenge of Enforcing Text-Driving Ban
Jun 28 2010 // When Michigan’s ban on texting while driving takes effect Thursday, July 1, police will be able to pull over motorists solely for using their cell phones to send or look at text messages or e-mails. Some in law...
Iowa Texting While Driving Ban Takes Effect July 1
Jun 28 2010 // Iowa motorists will face new restrictions aimed at cutting down on distractions beginning July 1. A new law that bans adults from reading, writing and sending text messages goes into effect Thursday. The law also bans...
Michigan Billboards Remind Drivers to ‘Txt Back L8R’
Jun 24 2010 // Billboards going up around Michigan are reminding drivers to hold off on text messaging. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said that the billboards in major metropolitan areas will carry the phrase text back...
Tennessee Takes Gradual Approach to Reducing Teen Driving Deaths
Jun 16 2010 // A state official says Tennessee has made some headway in reducing traffic fatalities among teens. Phillip Doss, director of the state’s Offices of Research and Educational Accountability, commented to The Tennessean...
Enforcing South Carolina’s Drunk Driving Laws Requires Patience
Jun 15 2010 // Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Joel Frazier is a good listener. Frazier, a 12-year law enforcement veteran, has worked for the South Carolina county sheriff’s office as a patrol deputy for six years. Last...
Ohio Judge Nixes Driving Record Fee
Jun 10 2010 // A judge has struck down a higher motor vehicle fee charged to trucking and insurance companies, saying it violates Ohio’s constitution. Lawmakers last year raised the fee on certified copies of driving records from...
Massachusetts City Seeks Texting While Driving Ban
Jun 9 2010 // Springfield, Massachusetts has taken a step toward banning texting while driving. The city council on Monday passed a home rule petition by a 12-1 margin that would allow police to fine anyone who sends or receives text...
Delaware Police Target Aggressive Driving
Jun 8 2010 // State officials are warning motorists that police are cracking down on aggressive driving in Delaware. The Delaware Office of Highway Safety says 11 state, county and municipal police agencies will conduct patrols this...
Georgia Bans Texting While Driving; Targets Teens
Jun 7 2010 // Put down the cell phone and step away from the car. Georgia drivers soon will be banned from texting, checking e-mail or using the Internet behind the wheel and teens will be prohibited from using their cell phones at all...
20% of Drivers Would Flunk Test
Jun 7 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Texting While Driving Ban Now Law in Vermont
Jun 2 2010 // It’s now illegal to text while driving in Vermont. Gov. Jim Douglas signed the ban into law Tuesday at the Montpelier High School, joining at least 25 states that have banned the practice. The measure also bans the...
Road Hazard: 20% of U.S. Drivers Would Flunk If Given Driving Test
May 27 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Rhode Island Offers Hearings for 1,500 Suspended Drivers
May 21 2010 // Hundreds of drivers who had their licenses suspended without being told why can keep driving until they get a hearing to resolve the issue, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles said. The American Civil Liberties...
