Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Mexico Immigrant Driver’s Licenses Jump Before Law Change
Jun 1 2016 // The number of immigrants seeking driver’s licenses in New Mexico surged during the first three months of the year as lawmakers debated changes to a long-contested policy that allowed for those living in the country...
Americans on Road to Driving Record Number of Miles
May 31 2016 // American drivers logged a record number of miles in the first three months of the year, as travel rose 4.2 percent to 746 billion miles, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday. In March this year, Americans...
Are Ridesharing Drivers Safer Than Average American Drivers?
May 26 2016 // Ridesharing drivers are safer drivers than the average American behind the wheel, according to research by Boston-based Aite Group. The researchers, using driving analytics data, conclude that average consumers are safer...
Investigators: Fraud Schemes Rampant Among Houston Tow Truck Drivers
May 25 2016 // Houston is a bad place to have to have your vehicle towed, according to law enforcement officials and insurance investigators. There have multiple reports of vehicles being towed and towing services charging victims...
West Virginia Motorcyclist Wins $500K in Suit Against Travelers, Truck Driver
May 25 2016 // A jury has awarded more than $500,000 to a motorcyclist in South Charleston, W. Va., who was injured in a lumber spill wreck. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports jurors reached the verdict last week in Larry Keeling...
Feds: 6 Connecticut Men Staged 50 Car Crashes for Insurance Money
May 25 2016 // Federal prosecutors say six Connecticut residents have been charged with staging car crashes so they could make fraudulent insurance claims. U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly said Tuesday that five Norwich residents and one New...
Advocacy Groups Want Stronger Texting-Driving Ban in Oklahoma
May 24 2016 // Just six months after Oklahoma’s ban on texting and driving went into effect, advocacy groups are calling for even broader measures to curb distracted driving. Oklahoma was among the last states to pass a texting and...
Hundreds Arrested in Michigan Drunken Driving Crackdown
May 23 2016 // Law enforcement officers in Michigan arrested more than 560 motorists for drunken driving during a stepped-up enforcement effort earlier this year. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning on May 4 announced the...
Massachusetts Police Wrote 6,131 Tickets for Texting While Driving in 2015
May 20 2016 // Massachusetts state data show that the number of people getting ticketed by police for texting while driving in Massachusetts has steadily increased since it became illegal six years ago. The state Transportation...
Uber Driver First Named to Lead Suit Opposes $100M Settlement
May 18 2016 // The driver originally named to lead a class-action lawsuit over pay and benefits against Uber Technologies Inc. is opposing the rideshare company’s $100 million settlement, saying he was duped by the drivers’...
Many Weed-Smoking Canadian Drivers Say They Can Drive Unimpaired: Insurers
May 18 2016 // Almost half of weed-smoking Canadian drivers say that they can safely operate a vehicle while stoned. Among Canadians who have driven under the influence of marijuana, 44 percent don’t think it impacts their ability...
Allstate Rate Hikes for Georgia Drivers Move Forward, For Now
May 17 2016 // Allstate can go ahead raise auto insurance rates for Georgia drivers later this month because a state review of the planned increase won’t be done in time to stop the higher rates from taking effect, state regulators...
Louisiana Drivers Seek Relief from Lawmakers for Insurance Lapse Fines
May 16 2016 // State lawmakers hope to offer relief to thousands of Louisiana drivers who collectively owe millions of dollars to the Office of Motor Vehicles in unpaid fines from lapsed insurance coverage. It’s not clear yet what...
Did Uber Driver Settlement Lawyer Win at Expense of Drivers?
May 16 2016 // The lawyer who struck a $100 million deal with Uber Technologies Inc. is being accused of greed by some of the drivers covered by the accord who want her bumped. “She has single-handedly stuck a knife in the back of...
Sixth Sense Lessens Risk of Driving While Absentminded But Not While Texting
May 16 2016 // While much has been made about the dangers of texting and driving, less attention has been focused on the age-old distractions of being absentminded or upset while driving. A team of researchers from the University of...
Hundreds Arrested in Michigan Drunken Driving Crackdown
May 12 2016 // Law enforcement officers in Michigan arrested more than 560 motorists for drunken driving during a stepped-up enforcement effort earlier this year. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning on May 4 announced results...
Lyft Raises Offer to Drivers to $27M in Contractors V. Employees Suit
May 12 2016 // Lyft Inc. raised its proposed payout to 163,000 California drivers to $27 million in their lawsuit to be treated as employees rather than contractors. The revised settlement comes after a San Francisco federal judge...
Two-Car Crash On Rainy Texas Highway Kills 5
May 11 2016 // Five people are dead following a two-car crash on a rainy Texas highway on Mother’s Day. The Texas Department of Public Safety tells the Austin American-Statesman it happened Sunday afternoon near the town of...
Background Checks For Uber, Lyft Drivers Established in Iowa
May 11 2016 // Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that creates new statewide rules for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Uber to do business in Iowa. Branstad signed the bill this week following approval this...
Uber to Start Guild for 35K Drivers in New York City
May 11 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. agreed to start a guild for 35,000 drivers in New York that will help them negotiate with the ride-hailing company, though the group will have less power to resolve disputes than a full-fledged...
