Latest Personal Auto Headlines

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

Arizona Lawmakers to Take up Texting While Driving Ban for Teens

Apr 20 2017 // The Arizona House is planning to debate legislation banning texting or other cellphone use by drivers with only a learners permit or during the first six months teenagers have a regular license. The debate comes two days...

China’s Baidu Plans July Launch of Self-Driving Car Technology

Apr 19 2017 // Baidu Inc. said on Tuesday it would launch its self-driving car technology for restricted environment in July before gradually introducing fully autonomous driving capabilities on highways and open city roads by 2020.The...

Apple Soon Will Begin Road-Testing Self-Driving Car Software: Source

Apr 18 2017 // Apple Inc. will soon take its self-driving car software platform to public streets for the first time, a major step that gets the world’s largest technology company into a crowded race to reshape transportation.The...

Rideshare Drivers Take ‘Huge Risk’ with Personal Auto Coverage: GEICO

Apr 17 2017 // You are a driver for a transportation network company and then the unfortunate happens. Someone sideswipes your vehicle. In the chaotic moments after the accident, a question about your personal auto insurance coverage...

North Carolina Busts 70 Taxi, Limo Drivers in Insurance Rate Evasion Scheme

Apr 17 2017 // When dozens of taxi and limo drivers claimed the same home address, it led to a big insurance bust.North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey says 70 Charlotte-area taxi and limousine drivers falsely listed the same...

Texas Driver Who Collided with Church Bus Had Taken Pills, Records Show

Apr 13 2017 // A 20-year-old man whose pickup collided with a church minibus last month in rural Texas, killing 13 people, told state troopers he had taken prescription medication before driving and had marijuana in his truck, according...

Iowa Lawmakers Pass Tougher Texting and Driving Law

Apr 13 2017 // The Legislature has sent the governor a bill that would let police officers stop and ticket drivers who were texting while driving. The legislation approved by the House would take effect July 1 if Gov. Terry Branstad were...

Uber Scoffs at Google Spinoff’s Claims in Self-Driving Car Case

Apr 10 2017 // Uber is scoffing at claims that its expansion into self-driving cars hinges on trade secrets stolen from a Google spinoff, arguing that its ride-hailing service has been working on potentially superior technology.The legal...

New York Begins New Push to Stop Distracted Driving

Apr 10 2017 // New York is launching a statewide campaign against distracted driving as part of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said state and local police will be stepping up patrols and...

Driver Privacy at Risk when Telematics Data Stored in the Cloud: Researchers

Apr 10 2017 // Drivers’ private information can be compromised when stored in the cloud for usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, according to researchers.Using connected-device, or telematics, functions in vehicles, UBI programs...

Florida to Help Foster Children Get Drivers’ Licenses, Insurance

Apr 7 2017 // Children in Florida foster care will get help obtaining a driver’s license and auto insurance under a bill heading to Gov. Rick Scott. The House unanimously passed the bill Wednesday that would make permanent a pilot...

Outlook Good for Texting-While-Driving Ban, Texas Lawmakers Say

Apr 5 2017 // Note this article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune.After pushing the issue for nearly a decade, key lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are optimistic that a statewide texting-while-driving ban is within reach....

Driver of Truck in Texas Bus Crash Admits Texting Behind the Wheel

Apr 3 2017 // A witness says the driver of a pickup truck that collided with a church minibus in rural Texas, killing 13 people, acknowledged he had been texting while driving — highlighting the dangers of sending messages on...

Slice Labs Testing Pay-Per-Use Insurance App with Rideshare Drivers

Apr 3 2017 // Insurance tech startup Slice Labs has created a pay-per-use rideshare insurance app and is now testing the technology with a select set of rideshare drivers.Plans call for testing the technology and algorithms with a group...

MAPFRE Insurance to Provide Coverage for Massachusetts Rideshare Drivers

Mar 31 2017 // In an important move aimed at protecting Massachusetts drivers, MAPFRE Insurance will be among the first insurers in the state to offer gap coverage to auto insurance policyholders using their personal cars to drive for...

Personal Auto Rate Hikes Not Keeping Up with Losses: Fitch

Mar 30 2017 // U.S. personal auto underwriters increased premium rates “significantly” in 2016. But here’s the thing: it wasn’t enough.Loss trends are still outpacing rate changes. Also, the U.S. P/C industry...

Police Report on Uber Self-Driving Car Crash Tells Complex Tale

Mar 30 2017 // A recent crash involving an Uber Technologies Inc. driverless car suggests autonomous software sometimes takes the same risks as the humans it may one day replace.The accident on Friday in Tempe, Arizona, caused no major...

Self-Driving Car Crash in Arizona A Reminder about Regulation Challenges

Mar 29 2017 // A crash that caused an Uber self-driving SUV to flip onto its side in a Phoenix suburb serves as a stark reminder of the challenges surrounding autonomous vehicles in Arizona, a state that has gone all-in to entice the...

Colorado State Patrol Crack Down to Increase Driver Safety in Rural Areas

Mar 28 2017 // The Colorado State Patrol is cracking down on drivers in the state’s rural areas who are caught behind the wheel without a seat belt.The Denver Post reported the increased enforcement in rural Colorado started Monday...

How Parents’ Perceptions Can Influence Teens Drivers’ Licensure

Mar 28 2017 // Preparing teens for safe independent driving could save lives, though historically there has been very little research to guide parents of teens with learner permits.A new study from University of Alabama at Birmingham...