Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Pennsylvania Increases Penalties for Repeat Drunk Drivers
Jul 19 2022 // Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation Monday to increase penalties for motorists who have multiple driving-under- the influence (DUI convictions to try to end what critics call Pennsylvania’s “revolving door”...
NTSB: Dad, Not 13-Year-Old, Was Driving Truck That Hit Golfers’ Van in Texas
Jul 15 2022 // A Texas man, not his 13-year-old son, was driving the pickup truck that crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a van carrying New Mexico college golfers, killing nine people, and he had methamphetamine in his system,...
Agency Probing Self-Driving Cruise Car Crash In California
Jul 11 2022 // The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a special investigation into a recent crash of a Cruise self-driving vehicle in California that resulted in minor injuries, the agency said on Thursday. The...
Miami Jury Orders Bar That Served Drunken Driver to Pay $96M in Damages
Jul 7 2022 // A Miami-Dade jury has returned one of the largest verdicts ever in an automobile accident case, awarding $95 million in damages plus attorneys’ fees to a South Florida family whose daughter was killed and whose son...
New NHTSA Chief: Agency to Scrutinize Auto-Driver Technology
Jul 1 2022 // The new head of the government’s road safety agency says it will intensify efforts to understand the risks posed by automated vehicle technology, so it can decide what regulations may be necessary to protect drivers,...
Climate Change Driving Extreme Heat and Flooding in 2022: Report
Jul 1 2022 // Extreme weather events – from scorching heatwaves to unusually heavy downpours – have caused widespread upheaval across the globe this year, with thousands of people killed and millions more displaced. In the last...
Florida Driver Could Get $12M After Insurer Did Not Respond to Settlement Offer
Jun 29 2022 // A Florida accident victim gets a second chance to compel an auto insurer to pay a $12.7 million judgment after the insurer failed to respond to a $10,000 settlement offer, a federal appellate court ruled Tuesday. A divided...
Parents of New Mexico Kids Injured in Crash Sue Car Driver, Insurance
Jun 21 2022 // The parents of three New Mexico children injured in a crash involving an Albuquerque Public Schools bus four months ago have filed a lawsuit against the driver of the speeding car involved and his insurance company. The...
Critics of Massachusetts Immigrant Driver’s License Law Seek Repeal
Jun 21 2022 // A just-passed state law allowing immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts is now the subject of a repeal effort. Critics, including members of the Massachusetts Republican...
Missouri Report: Black Drivers More Likely to be Pulled Over
Jun 20 2022 // Recently released data show Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over in Missouri compared to white drivers, and the gap between how Missouri police treat Black and white drivers increased again last...
Bus Driver Who Blacked Out Says He Didn’t Know Gummy Candies Included THC
Jun 17 2022 // A commercial bus driver in Connecticut has been charged with 38 counts of reckless endangerment after blacking out behind the steering wheel while snacking on gummies he says he didn’t know were infused with the...
Tesla Leads in Driver-Assisted Technology Crashes: NHTSA
Jun 16 2022 // Tesla Inc. reported 273 vehicle crashes since July involving advanced driving assistance systems, more than any other automaker, according to data U.S. auto safety regulators released on Wednesday. Automakers and tech...
Authorities: Driver in Fatal Nebraska Crash Had Used Marijuana
Jun 2 2022 // One of the drivers in a crash that killed two women and injured 20 bystanders watching classic cars cruise down a Nebraska street tested positive for marijuana, police said. The 18-year-old Omaha man was driving a Ford...
Washington Police Say Drivers Aren’t Stopping for Them
Jun 1 2022 // The Washington State Patrol says drivers are increasingly refusing to stop for troopers – and other law enforcement agencies also say this is becoming a common occurrence. The Northwest News Network reports that from...
Massachusetts Gov. Baker Vetoes Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Jun 1 2022 // Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed a bill Friday that would allow immigrants in the country illegally to obtain state driver’s licenses in Massachusetts. The veto came just a day after the Massachusetts House and Senate gave...
Markets/Coverages: Maryland’s Residual Insurer Ups Limits for Commercial Drivers
May 20 2022 // Maryland’s auto insurance market for drivers that private insurers won’t cover has received approval to offer combined single limits coverage up to $1 million for eligible businesses and vehicles. Maryland Auto...
Tesla Bets It Can Bring Down Insurance Costs, Make Driving Safer
May 18 2022 // For more than six weeks now, the tech and finance industry has been riveted by Elon Musk’s pursuit of Twitter. The topic has sucked up tons of oxygen and contributed to Tesla shares sagging amid a broader market rout...
Vehicles With Assisted Driving Systems Struggle With Collision Tests: AAA
May 12 2022 // Assisted driving systems installed in Tesla Inc., Hyundai Motor Co. and Subaru Corp. vehicles failed to avoid head-on collisions in testing done by AAA, though Tesla’s Autopilot system did slow the vehicle to a...
Risky Driving Increases as Sleep Apnea Worsens
May 2 2022 // Drivers who have sleep apnea can be a high risk behind the wheel, according to new research that also suggests screening older drivers for the common disorder. People with sleep apnea wake up tired in the morning, no...
Zamboni Driver Fired for Urinating in Drain Sues NHL’s Red Wings
Apr 22 2022 // A popular Zamboni driver for the Detroit Red Wings said he was dismissed for urinating in a drain. Al Sobotka filed a discrimination lawsuit this week against Olympia Entertainment, two months after he was fired, following...
