Latest Personal Auto Headlines

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

Report: Seatbelt Use Lags Among Louisiana Truck Drivers, Passengers

Oct 30 2017 // Louisiana’s pickup truck drivers buckle up less regularly than motorists in cars, SUVs and vans. That’s the finding of a new seatbelt use study from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.The group says 87...

Alphabet to Test Self-Driving Cars in Snowy Michigan

Oct 26 2017 // Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit Waymo is expanding winter testing as it works to address a potential blind spot for autonomous vehicles: snowy and icy conditions.Waymo said that Michigan is the sixth state...

Fighting Drivers of Commercial Auto Frequency, Severity

Oct 20 2017 // Litigation financing, distracted driving and unexpected verdicts are just some of the factors impacting commercial auto frequency and severity, according to panelists speaking at the 2017 Risk Management Summit this week...

Distracted Driving Is More Deadly Than Data Shows: Special Report

Oct 18 2017 // Jennifer Smith doesn’t like the term “accident.” It implies too much chance and too little culpability.A “crash” killed her mother in 2008, she insists, when her car was broadsided by another...

Liberty Mutual Insurance Tailors Policy for Tesla Electric Car Drivers in U.S.

Oct 16 2017 // Tesla Inc. is partnering with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. to offer an auto-insurance plan designed specifically for its electric cars in the U.S.The plan made available to U.S. customers starting Friday is similar to what...

Waymo, Nonprofits Team Up for Safety Campaign on Self-Driving Cars

Oct 11 2017 // AAlphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit Waymo and several groups are launching a campaign aimed at convincing skeptical Americans of what they say is the value and safety of driverless cars, as Congress considers how...

Uber: Giving UK Drivers Workers’ Rights Would Cost Millions of Pounds

Oct 10 2017 // Uber said on Tuesday that paying National Insurance contributions for its British drivers would add tens of millions of pounds to the taxi app’s costs were they to be deemed employees.Uber currently classifies its...

Traffic Accident Deaths Still Increasing as Distracted Driving Reports Decline

Oct 9 2017 // Traffic accident deaths in the U.S. continue to rise, even while deaths related to distracted driving decline.Pedestrian and motorcyclist deaths are way up. The number of vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads in 2016...

West Virginia Tops State Farm List of Deer-Car Crashes, Again

Oct 6 2017 // For the 11th consecutive year, West Virginia has topped State Farm’s list for the likelihood of vehicles crashes involving deer.Using claims data, the Bloomington, Illinois-based insurer released its annual deer...

U.S. Senate Panel Gives Green Light to Bill to Speed Use of Self-Driving Cars

Oct 5 2017 // A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday unanimously gave the green light to a bill aimed at speeding the use of self-driving cars without human controls, a measure that also bars states from imposing regulatory road blocks.The...

Driver Assist on Big Rigs Being Tested by Oregon Vehicle Manufacturer

Oct 4 2017 // A Portland-based manufacturer of commercial vehicles is performing trials on Oregon highways of tractor-trailers with driver-assist technology.The Bend Bulletin reported Daimler Trucks North America is testing the same...

Safety Groups Oppose Autonomous Driving Bill Backed by Car Makers

Oct 4 2017 // A coalition of auto safety advocates criticized a bill before the U.S. Congress that would allow automakers eventually to sell up to 100,000 self-driving vehicles annually if they could demonstrate they are as safe as...

Driver Concerns Over the Future of Autonomous Vehicles: AIG Study

Oct 3 2017 // Safety of the vehicles, including the risk of hacking, are key concerns when it comes to autonomous vehicles, according to a study by American International Group, Inc. on the whether or not Americans accept or reject...

Uber Drivers Will Need Licenses, Insurance in Australia’s Queensland

Oct 2 2017 // Ride-booking operators and drivers, such as those from Uber Technologies Inc., will need licenses to offer their services in the Australian state of Queensland under new regulations announced Sunday in Brisbane.The...

Two Charged in Scheme Selling Pennsylvania Driver’s Licenses

Oct 2 2017 // An employee at Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation granted driving privileges to more than 30 people without requiring them to show proper documents or take driving tests under a bribery scheme that netted...

Fake Uber Driver in Illinois Accused Of Picking Up and Raping Women

Sep 29 2017 // Additional charges have been filed against a suburban Chicago man accused of posing as an Uber driver who picked up women outside bars and raping them.Musaab Afandi of Glenview appeared at a bond hearing Wednesday after...

Police Say Drunk Driver Caused Power Outages at Schools in Georgia County

Sep 27 2017 // Power was knocked out to two college campuses and a high school in DeKalb County when a mini-van flipped and hit a utility pole. WSB-TV reports that the Monday morning crash happened in front of Georgia Piedmont Technical...

Saudi Decision to End Women’s Driving Ban Boosts Auto Insurers’ Shares

Sep 27 2017 // Saudi Arabia’s decision to end a driving ban for women is likely to save families billions of dollars, boost industries from car sales to insurance, and reassure investors that the kingdom’s push to diversify...

Oregon’s Cellphone And Distracted Driving Law Brings Bigger Fines, Jail

Sep 21 2017 // Oregon drivers soon can be pulled over for not only texting and talking on their cellphones, but also for navigating, using social media and any other “hands-on” cellphone and electronics use.The changes, which...

Audi Goes Full Speed on Automated Driving, While Competitors Wary of Liability, Regulation

Sep 18 2017 // German carmaker Audi is taking a lead in bringing more automated driving to roads, but rivals seem in no rush to follow while legal and regulatory uncertainties still cloud the technology.At the Frankfurt car show, Audi...