Latest Personal Auto Headlines

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

Cops Draw Blood to Catch Impaired Drivers

Apr 23 2019 // It was about 6:30 on a Friday night in January when Phoenix Police Det. Kemp Layden pulled over a white Jeep Cherokee that was speeding and weaving in and out of its lane.The 47-year-old driver spoke slowly, his eyes were...

Car Sharing Lobbyists Battle Car Renting Lobbyists, Driving State Lawmakers Crazy

Apr 19 2019 // The bill that turned Illinois into the focal point of a bitter debate over car-sharing last year started as a proposal about what happens when a rental car is stolen. The legislation, which would allow rental companies to...

Driving in Georgia While Sitting in California; Remote Control Beats Autonomy

Apr 18 2019 // For four days in February, Ben Shukman showed up to his office at Phantom Auto in Mountain View, California, sat down in front of a bank of computer screens with a steering wheel in a darkened room, and began driving. As...

Digital or Plastic? Or Both? States Experiment with Driver’s Licenses

Apr 17 2019 // Millions of people may be able to show their smartphones rather than a plastic card to prove they’re legit to drive, vote or buy a beer in coming years.Louisiana in July became the first state to make digital...

Proposed Bill Would End Texas’ Controversial Driver Responsibility Program

Apr 15 2019 // Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) would be repealed under a bill considered by the Senate Finance Committee, the state Senate reported.The program has been heavily criticized for the financial burden it...

California to Consider Allowing Small Self-Driving Delivery Trucks on Roads

Apr 15 2019 // California regulators have proposed regulations that would allow vehicle manufacturers to test or deploy small self-driving delivery trucks on public roads, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said in a...

Florida Could Expand Self-Driving Car Law

Apr 10 2019 // Self-driving vehicles could be operated in Florida without a human backup under a bill approved by a House committee last week, which could pave the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy fleets of driverless...

Michigan Commission: THC Level Not a ‘Reliable Indicator’ of Driving Impairment

Apr 2 2019 // A state commission says Michigan should not set a legal limit for how much of marijuana’s active ingredient motorists can have in their system.The Impaired Driving Safety Commission recently forwarded its findings to...

North Carolina Personal Auto Rates to Increase by 1.6%

Apr 1 2019 // The North Carolina Rate Bureau has reached a settlement with the North Carolina Department of Insurance to raise personal auto insurance rates by 1.6 percent, according to a statement by NCDOI.The NCRB, which is not a part...

Rates, Lower Loss Frequency, Innovation Drove Personal Auto Market Turnaround

Mar 29 2019 // After a weakened performance in 2015-2016, the U.S. private passenger auto segment has turned around as rate actions and underwriting initiatives have driven a 3.8-point year-over-year improvement in the sector’s...

Oregon Ponders Giving Driving Privileges to Undocumented Immigrants

Mar 28 2019 // Every time Mariana Alvarez leaves her home, she crosses herself in prayer in hopes she will be able to return to her three children.Alvarez moved to Salem from Mexico, and lives in Oregon without proof of legal residence....

Distracted Driving Habit Is Proving Tough for Americans to Break

Mar 28 2019 // Nearly eight in 10 consumers talk on the phone while driving and more than 30 percent admit to having been in a near-miss crash because they were distracted.Also, although distracted driving poses potential liability risks...

ISO Offers Policy Rule, Rating Factors for Insuring Cars with Driver Assist Features

Mar 27 2019 // ISO has introduced a new policy manual rule and rating factors to help auto insurers underwrite and price coverage for the growing number of cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). ISO provides forms, rules...

Washington City Planning Big Driver Bike, Pedestrian Safety Changes

Mar 26 2019 // A Washington city is planning changes to make streets safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.Bellingham residents can expect to see substantial changes to thoroughfares over the next few months as the city continues...

Errors a Problem for Oklahoma Program Targeting Uninsured Drivers

Mar 25 2019 // Nearly 5 percent of vehicles flagged as uninsured in Oklahoma were identified by error, according to a prosecutor who leads a new program that includes automatic license plate readers.The Oklahoma District Attorneys...

NTSB Says Impaired Truck Driver Likely Cause of GOP Train Crash in Virginia

Mar 25 2019 // A trash truck driver who had marijuana in his system likely caused a fatal collision last year with an Amtrak train that was carrying Republican lawmakers, federal investigators concluded.The National Transportation Safety...

Volvo Hopes to Deploy Sensors to Detect Drunk Drivers, Making Insurance Less Pricey

Mar 21 2019 // Volvo Cars is planning to fit its next generation of autos with cameras and sensors that will detect drunk or distracted drivers and intervene to stop dangerous rides.From the early 2020s, Volvos will have the ability to...

Hands-Free Phone Use While Driving Bill Passes Minnesota House

Mar 21 2019 // Minnesota motorists would be required to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone while driving under a bill that passed the state House on Monday night, after sponsors said the measure will cut down on distracted...

Why Drivers, Like Pilots, Should Be Trained to Use Autonomous Features

Mar 20 2019 // Should drivers using vehicles with autonomous features be trained on those features before they get behind the wheel?A new paper, “What Do We Tell the Drivers? Toward Minimum Driver Training Standards for Partially...

No Criminal Liability for Uber in Fatal 2018 Arizona Self-Driving Car Crash

Mar 18 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. is not criminally liable in a March 2018 crash in Tempe, Ariz., in which one of the company’s self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian, prosecutors said earlier this month.The Yavapai...