Latest Personal Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Tesla’s Musk Sees Safe Self-Driving Vehicle This Year and Humanoid Robot Next Year

Jan 28 2022 // Tesla’s most important products this year and next will not be cars, Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Wednesday, but software that drives them autonomously and a humanoid robot.The audacious promises by the...

Now Safe Drivers Can Get a Break on Life Insurance

Jan 25 2022 // Under a program being offered by Boston-based life insurer John Hancock, safe drivers can earn reward points towards discounts on wellness products and their life insurance premiums.John Hancock Vitality program members...

Consumer Reports, Insurance Safety Institute to Rate Vehicle Driver Automation Systems

Jan 21 2022 // Two nonprofit bodies, Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), said separately on Thursday they are reviewing safeguards put in place by automakers for vehicles with partial automation.The...

Transportation Safety Chief Objects to Use of Driver Error Statistic

Jan 20 2022 // With traffic fatalities spiking higher, the nation’s top safety investigator says a widely cited government statistic that 94% of serious crashes are solely due to driver error is misleading and that the...

Self-Driving Trucks: Looking at the Risks

Jan 14 2022 // I came across this article on Insurance Journal (of course!) today.Can a Self-Driving 40-Ton Truck Be Safe? Developers Say Yes But Others Are Skeptical. The optimist in me says that yes, self-driving trucks can be safe.The...

California DMV Reevaluating Approach to Regulating Tesla’s Public Self-Driving Test

Jan 13 2022 // California is reevaluating Tesla Inc’s Full Self-Driving test program, to determine if the electric-car maker’s software should fall under its motor vehicle department’s autonomous vehicle regulations,...

Rhode Island Fines Medical Transport Firm Over Fatal Crash by Unqualified Driver

Jan 11 2022 // The company contracted by the state to provide nonemergency medical transportation to Rhode Island residents was fined $600,000 Thursday in connection with a crash involving an unqualified driver that led to the death of a...

Can a Self-Driving 40-Ton Truck Be Safe? Developers Say Yes But Others Are Skeptical.

Jan 10 2022 // Shipping companies and software developers are experimenting with self-driving trucks as a way to solve a driver shortage worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing fire from safety advocates who call the technology a risk...

Gig Driver in California Mauled by K-9 After Missing Rental Payments Suing

Jan 7 2022 // A gig driver badly mauled by a police dog is suing a San Francisco area suburb, alleging use of excessive force and violation of civil rights when police stopped him in December 2020 after he had missed car rental...

Officials Say Backhoe Driver Damaged New Jersey Homes, Vehicles, Was Shot

Dec 29 2021 // The state attorney general’s office is investigating the shooting death of a man authorities say was driving a backhoe when he damaged vehicles and homes at a mobile home park in New Jersey this month.Joshua...

Uber Driver Charged with Raping Passenger During Las Vegas Ride

Dec 28 2021 // An Uber driver is charged with raping a female passenger who police said fell asleep before waking up as she was attacked during a ride in metro Las Vegas.Dawed Oumer Mekonene, 30, was arrested last week and remained in...

Window for Michigan Uninsured Drivers to Get Penalty-Free Insurance Ends Dec. 31

Dec 22 2021 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services is reminding uninsured drivers that they have until midnight on Dec. 31, 2021 to get penalty-free auto insurance.The amnesty period ensures that fees will not be...

Auto Insurance Virtual Town Halls Offered to Michigan Drivers

Dec 10 2021 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) will offer free town hall events for consumers about auto insurance. The town halls will take play Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. via Zoom.The...

Michigan Drivers to Receive $400 Refund Per Vehicle

Dec 8 2021 // All Michigan drivers with auto insurance will receive a $400 per-vehicle refund next year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state regulators announced the dollar amount Tuesday, more than a month after she had requested the...

Minnesota Winter Storm Causes Hundreds of Car Crashes, No Fatalities

Dec 7 2021 // Snowfall reached nearly 1 foot on Sunday, Dec. 5 in some parts of northern Minnesota. The Minnesota State Patrol reported hundreds of car crashes during the storm. Authorities said 26 of the crashes resulted in injuries,...

China Sets Rules to Protect Drivers’ Rights in Ride-Hailing Industry, Requiring Insurance

Nov 30 2021 // BEIJING – China outlined new rules on Tuesday to safeguard the rights of drivers in its giant ride-hailing industry, requiring operators of the services to provide them with social insurance and make their earnings...

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Try Anew to Toughen Penalty for Repeat DUI Drivers

Nov 22 2021 // The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved legislation aiming to increase penalties for motorists who have multiple DUI convictions to end what critics have called Pennsylvania’s “revolving door”...

Amazon and Its Algorithms Blamed for Crashes by Delivery Drivers

Nov 22 2021 // Ans Rana was in the back seat of his brother’s Tesla Model S when they stopped behind a disabled car just before 9 p.m. on Atlanta’s busy Interstate 75. Seconds later, a blue Amazon.com Inc. delivery van...

Swiss Re and China Tech Giant Baidu Partner to Advance Autonomous Driving Industry

Nov 19 2021 // Swiss Re and Chinese tech giant Baidu are teaming up to further develop the autonomous driving industry, announced Swiss Re.The partnership between Swiss Re and Baidu aims to further develop the autonomous driving industry...

Michigan Governor: Drivers to See More Savings Under Auto Insurance Reform Law

Nov 16 2021 // Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that drivers should save on average between 25-62% on the PIP medical portion of their auto policies compared to the previous year.The lower premiums continue a trend of declining...