Latest Personal Auto Headlines

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

New York Court: Uber Drivers Are Employees Eligible for Unemployment Insurance

Jan 25 2021 // The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department held at the end of December that Uber drivers can be considered employees eligible for benefits such as unemployment insurance.The finding upheld...

Alabama Transgender Driver’s License Policy Ruled Unconstitutional

Jan 22 2021 // Alabama’s policy requiring a transgender person to undergo full gender reassignment surgery before they can change the sex on their driver’s license is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Friday.U.S....

Pardon for Ex-Google Exec Who Took Self-Driving Car Secrets to Uber

Jan 22 2021 // A long-running Silicon Valley soap opera took an unexpected twist on Wednesday after outgoing President Donald Trump pardoned a former Google engineer for stealing self-driving car secrets shortly before joining...

Japan’s Automakers Adding Safety Technology for Often-Isolated Older Drivers

Jan 21 2021 // Automakers in Japan, where almost 30% of the population is 65 or older, are taking the lead on adapting cars so the nation’s legions of elderly drivers can feel more confident — and be safer — behind the...

2 W. Virginia Bus Drivers Who Attended Trump Rally Sue Over Suspension

Jan 15 2021 // Two West Virginia school bus drivers who were suspended for attending a rally for President Donald Trump in the nation’s capital have been cleared of wrongdoing following hearings, an attorney said Wednesday.Attorney...

Bus Driver Placed on Probation After Plea in Fatal Accident

Jan 15 2021 // A Port Authority bus driver has been placed on probation for three years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a University of Pittsburgh student struck by the bus she was driving a year...

Some Rideshare Drivers Sue Over California Ballot Measure

Jan 14 2021 // Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit Tuesday to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job...

Driving Declined But Traffic Deaths Rose 13% After Lockdowns Ended

Jan 14 2021 // U.S. traffic deaths jumped dramatically after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020, rising 13.1% in the three months ending Sept. 30 to the highest rate since 2005 despite a decline in driving, auto safety regulators said...

Delivery Driver Killed in Drywall Accident at Florida Home Depot

Jan 13 2021 // A delivery driver was killed Sunday night when a load of construction materials fell on him at a Home Depot store in Florida, police said.News outlets report that a load of drywall struck 47-year-old Cyrenus Leroy Amon...

Wisconsin Man Charged with 18th Drunk Driving Offense

Jan 13 2021 // A 73-year-old Green Bay, Wisconsin, man has been charged with his 18th drunken driving offense, after a crash on Jan. 8 that took out power lines and caused an outage.Wallace Bowers had 17 prior operating while intoxicated...

Personal Auto Insurance Rates Fall Across the County: Value Penguin

Jan 8 2021 // Auto insurance rates are falling across the country an average 1.7 percent, with drivers in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana seeing the biggest drops of more than 4 percent.This is the first time rate have...

Idaho Distracted Driving Law Kicks in, Insurers May Consider Citations in Rates

Jan 4 2021 // Starting Jan. 1, drivers violating Idaho’s hands-free device, distracted driving law risked getting a citation.The law has been in effect since July 1, but Idaho State Police troopers have been issuing warnings to...

Nuro OK’d in California to Charge for Self-Driving Services

Dec 29 2020 // Robotics company Nuro this week received the first-ever permit to commercially deploy its self-driving vehicles in California, allowing the Silicon Valley firm to charge clients for its driverless delivery service.Relying...

Drunk Driving Convictions, Related Offenses Down in Wisconsin

Dec 29 2020 // Yearly convictions for drunken driving and other related offenses dropped by nearly 18,000 in Wisconsin between 2004 and 2018, according to a report from the state Legislative Reference Bureau.Alcohol-related fatal crashes...

Top Performing Auto Insurers During COVID and What’s Driving Customer Behavior

Dec 16 2020 // Spurred by a combination of financial hardship, a decrease in miles driven and a general lack of awareness of the historic relief efforts the industry initiated in 2020, auto insurance customer loyalty has given way to a...

Holding a Phone While Driving Will Soon Be Illegal in Virginia

Dec 14 2020 // It will soon be illegal in Virginia to hold a phone while driving.WAVY-TV reported that the new state law takes effect in January. Authorities say that making the practice illegal and enforceable is an important step...

Uber Asks States to Prioritize Delivery, Rideshare Drivers for COVID Vaccine

Dec 10 2020 // Uber Technologies Inc. on Thursday sent letters to the governors of all U.S. states, asking for its ride-hail and food delivery drivers to get early access to COVID-19 vaccines as essential workers.The company also said it...

Authorities Target Rise in Road Rage, Aggressive Driving in Houston-Area

Dec 9 2020 // Houston-area authorities on Dec. 8 announced a new task force to combat a more than 30% rise in road rage incidents this year, an increase that officials are blaming in part on the ongoing stress during the coronavirus...

Automakers Unveil Steps for U.S. to Speed Up Self-Driving Vehicle Deployment

Dec 3 2020 // A group representing major automakers is unveiling a detailed proposal Wednesday aimed at making it easier to deploy thousands of self-driving vehicles in the coming years, according to a document seen by Reuters.The...

Report: Despite Less Driving, Auto Fatalities Have Risen in Wisconsin

Dec 2 2020 // Auto fatalities are up in Wisconsin despite there being fewer people on the road due to the coronavirus pandemic, a report released on Dec. 1 by the Wisconsin Policy Forum found.The report examined state crash data from...