Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Bill Would Double Fines for Driving With Handheld Devices
Feb 12 2009 // Texas State Rep. Vicki Truitt of Keller has filed HB 1158 which would double fines for drivers guilty of traffic violations while using handheld wireless devices, the Texas House of Representatives...
Jury Clears Volkswagen in Car Crash That Paralyzed Vermont Man
Feb 12 2009 // A jury says Volkswagen isn’t to blame for the injuries suffered by a Vermont man in a 2002 wreck that paralyzed him. The suit stemmed from a Christmas Eve accident in Hanover, New Hampshire, in which a 1999 Jetta...
North Carolina House Weighs Ban on Text Messaging by Drivers
Feb 11 2009 // The North Carolina General Assembly already has passed a law barring teenagers from talking on a cell phone while driving. Now some legislators want to stop all drivers from text messaging. Some House members scheduled a...
Utah Considers Cell Phone Ban on Texting, E-Mail While Driving
Feb 11 2009 // The Utah Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit a person from using a wireless communication device for texting messages or e-mailing while operating a motor vehicle, among other acts. Additionally, HB 281,...
South Carolina Gets Tougher with Drunk Drivers Starting Today
Feb 10 2009 // Drunken drivers in South Carolina will start facing different penalties depending on whether they’re tipsy or trashed. The new law that takes effect today ties tougher sentences to the amount of alcohol in...
Panel: Kansas Drunken Driving Laws ‘Dysfunctional,’ Need Overhaul
Feb 10 2009 // A state board appointed to examine drunken driving laws in Kansas has concluded that the whole system needs a major overhaul. The Kansas Substance Abuse Policy Board says the state’s system for punishing drunken...
Utah Bill Would Get Rid of Immigrant Driving Cards
Feb 9 2009 // A Utah lawmaker wants to get rid of driving privilege cards for undocumented residents. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, says the measure, House Bill 137, isn’t meant to punish immigrants, but rather to protect Utahns...
Auto Deaths Decline in 40 States; Less Driving, More Seat Belt Use Cited
Feb 6 2009 // Automobile fatalities declined in 40 states in 2008, according to a survey of state highway safety agencies, an early sign that traffic deaths could dip to their lowest levels in four decades. The Governors Highway Safety...
Indiana House Panel Advances Ban on Drivers’ Cell Phone Use
Feb 5 2009 // Drivers in Indiana could not use handheld cell phones or texting devices under legislation endorsed by a state House committee. The House Public Policy Committee approved the bill by Democratic Rep. Vanessa Summers of...
Those Dashed Lines on Roads Are Longer Than Drivers Think
Feb 4 2009 // Take a guess — how long are the dashed lines that are painted down the middle of a road? If you’re like most people, you answered, “Two feet.” The real answer is 10 feet. That’s the federal...
Tougher Laws Credited with Drop in Teen Driving Deaths in Illinois
Feb 2 2009 // Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is crediting Illinois’ tougher teen driving laws for a drop in the number of teens who died in car wrecks. According to White, the number teen driving fatalities totaled 92...
Survey: 10 Percent of Delaware Drivers are Uninsured
Jan 29 2009 // A new study shows about 10 percent of drivers in Delaware are uninsured, and that number could be headed higher. The survey by the Insurance Research Council suggests the reason is the economic downturn. It predicts the...
Arkansas Bills Restricting Drivers’ Cell Phone Use Advance
Jan 28 2009 // An Arkansas House of Representatives committee has advanced a pair of bills restricting cell phone use by drivers. The House Public Transportation Committee endorsed a bill by Rep. Ray Kidd, D-Jonesboro, that would ban...
Maryland Governor Pushes Hike in Age for Teen Drivers
Jan 28 2009 // Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will push state legislators to raise the minimum age for teen drivers and strengthen penalties for those who repeatedly drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, he announced...
Teen Cell Phone Use While Driving Targeted by Texas Bill
Jan 27 2009 // Texas State Rep. Solomon Ortiz, Jr. has filed legislation to keep teen drivers safe by limiting their use of cell phones and other portable devices while driving. “This legislation will help limit distractions and...
Drunk Driver Victims Urge Mississippi to Expand Use of Ignition Locks
Jan 26 2009 // Nearly 21 years after a drunken driver plowed into her family’s Honda Civic and killed her parents and sister, Jennifer Sholar said certain sights and sounds still give her vivid flashbacks of the...
1 in 8 Hawaii Drivers Uninsured, More to Come
Jan 26 2009 // One out of eight Hawaii drivers is uninsured, and a new study says that is likely to increase as the economy crumbles. The study by the Insurance Research Council looks at data from 2007 of claims filed against uninsured...
Court: New Jersey Group Not Liable in Drunk-Driving Deaths
Jan 26 2009 // A New Jersey nonprofit group is not liable for providing alcohol at a party where four guests were later killed in a drunk-driving crash, the state Supreme Court has ruled. The court upheld a law that allows licensed...
North Dakota Could Back Tougher Teen Driving Laws
Jan 25 2009 // North Dakota lawmakers strongly support toughening state laws that govern teenage drivers, and many favor raising the state’s 14-year-old minimum driving age, an Associated Press survey shows. Insurance Commissioner...
Economic Downturn Driving More Motorists to Ranks of Uninsured
Jan 21 2009 // Approximately one in six drivers across the U.S. may be driving uninsured by 2010, according to a recent study from Insurance Research Council (IRC). Although the estimated percentage of uninsured motorists decreased...
