Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Bills Aimed at Driving Safety Advance
Mar 10 2014 // Oklahoma lawmakers are aiming to make driving safer by advancing bills that target texting while driving, using cell phones in school zones and back seat seatbelt use. The Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee approved...
Stoned Driving Campaign Launched in Colorado
Mar 7 2014 // Colorado is launching a new “Drive High, Get A DUI” campaign to remind drivers that newly legal marijuana should be treated like alcohol and not used before driving. The campaign includes radio and TV ads and...
Ban On Texting While Driving To Become New Mexico Law
Mar 3 2014 // A proposal to ban texting while driving in New Mexico will become official law. Gov. Susana Martinez is scheduled to sign legislation that would prohibit texting while operating a vehicle Sunday afternoon. Martinez will...
Georgia Recovers $1M from Drivers, Insurers for Damage to State Property
Feb 27 2014 // State transportation officials say an initiative to recover money to pay for damage to state property in traffic accidents has netted the agency more than $1 million. GDOT officials say annual damages to state property —...
Tennessee Court Says Police May Still Arrest Drivers Who Pass Sobriety Test
Feb 25 2014 // Police may still have grounds to arrest people for DUI even if they pass field sobriety tests, the Tennessee Supreme Court said in a ruling. The decision involved a Sevier County man whose driving under the influence (DUI...
Oklahoma Senate Committee OKs Texting and Driving, School Zone Cell Phone Bills
Feb 21 2014 // The Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee has approved legislative measures that would ban texting while driving, as well as the use of cell phones while driving in school zones. Senate Bill 442, by Sen. Ron Sharp, would...
Stricter Texting While Driving Measure Advances in Iowa
Feb 20 2014 // Iowa lawmakers granted initial approval of a bill that would further crack down on texting while driving by allowing officers to pull over motorists suspected of that sole offense. A three-member Senate transportation...
Vermont House Passes Driver-Cellphone Ban
Feb 20 2014 // The Vermont House has passed and sent to the Senate a bill banning the use of hand-held cellphones and other electronic devices while driving. The measure got preliminary approval and final House passage on Feb. 14 after...
Tougher Drunken Driving Bill Navigates New Mexico Legislature
Feb 19 2014 // A proposal to toughen drunken driving penalties has cleared the New Mexico House but it likely faces difficulty in the Senate. The measure would add mandatory prison time to the basic sentence of drunken driving offenders...
Hawaiian Language Driver’s License Test Soon Available
Feb 18 2014 // Even though Hawaiian is one of the official languages of the state, Hawaii residents won’t be able to take driver’s license exams in the language until next month. The state Department of Transportation is...
Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Tighten Law on Texting While Driving
Feb 18 2014 // Mississippi could tighten its law against sending text messages while driving. The House passed House Bill 484 last Thursday. It would ban texting while driving for anyone 18 or younger. Current law bans it for any younger...
Saving Southern California Drivers From Flooding Aim of Signs
Feb 14 2014 // Southern California may be in a drought, but San Bernardino County is thinking about the safety of motorists who use roads prone to flash flooding. Signs warning drivers to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”...
New Texting-While-Driving Ban Proponents: Oklahoma Teens
Feb 13 2014 // A group of teenagers who support a ban on texting while driving in Oklahoma are urging legislators to pass a new state law outlawing the practice. About a dozen high school students with a group called “Generation...
South Carolina City Bans Texting While Driving
Feb 13 2014 // Greenville, South Carolina has banned texting while driving. The city council voted this week to make it illegal to use a hand-held device while driving. The ban taking effect April 1 also applies to vehicles stopped in...
N.H. Court Upholds Assault Conviction in Texting-While-Driving Case
Feb 12 2014 // New Hampshire’s highest court is upholding the assault conviction of a driver who was reading a text message as his car drifted across two lanes and into oncoming traffic. The state Supreme Court’s ruling means...
North Carolina Driver Apologizes for Death Due to Texting
Feb 12 2014 // A Belmont, North Carolina woman charged with hitting and killing a pedestrian has apologized. Forty-five-year-old Belinda Strange Hudspeth apologized to the victim’s family in court on Monday. Seventy-five-year-old...
Florida Trooper Case Raises Driver Data Privacy Issues
Feb 12 2014 // Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Donna Jane Watts was on routine patrol early one morning when a Miami police car whizzed past at speeds that would eventually top 120 mph. Even with her blue lights flashing and siren...
Bill to Repeal New Mexico Immigrant Driver’s License Law Stalls
Feb 11 2014 // A bill that would have stopped New Mexico from granting driver’s licenses to most immigrants without proper documentation has stalled in the Legislature. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported the legislation could not...
North Carolina Driver Faces Murder, Texting Charge
Feb 10 2014 // A North Carolina woman faces murder and other charges after authorities say she was texting a message when she hit and killed a 75-year-old woman walking to visit a neighbor. The North Carolina Highway Patrol said...
Mississippi Senate Backs Fine for Texting While Driving
Feb 7 2014 // The Mississippi Senate has voted to make texting a driving a crime _ but not much of one. Senate Bill 2434 says anyone caught sending a text message or checking a social media site while driving can be charged with...
