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AAA: Fatal motor vehicle crash costs $6 million
The emotional toll for Americans who lose a friend or loved one in a motor vehicle crash has a steep financial counterpart — an average $6 million per fatal accident, according to auto club AAA. In a new report comparing the cost to the nation of motor vehicle crashes …
Ford takes hit in Consumer Reports’ reliability survey
The respected Consumer Reports magazine on Tuesday gave Detroit’s recovering auto industry a blow to the gut. Chrysler was the one bright spot, moving from bottom of the barrel last year to the middle of the pack this year. Still, the magazine noted that Chrysler has many models it …
Florida car thieves’ biggest targets: Is yours at risk?
Attention, 2000 Honda Civic owners: Your car is the most popular model in Florida with a select group of automotive enthusiasts: Car thieves. This may come as a surprise to fans of films like “Gone in 60 Seconds,” where professional crooks exclusively target high-end vehicles like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. …
Insurers try basing rates on individual cars’ data
A few months ago, Saman Jayasekara was shopping online for cheaper car insurance when he came across a new product from Progressive Corp. that offered him the chance to save as much as 30%. But there was a catch. He would have to install a device in his Hyundai …
Police issue thousands of tickets to Md. drivers using cellphones
Maryland police agencies have issued thousands of tickets to drivers for using hand-held cellphones behind the wheel in the year since a ban took effect. Records from more than 70 police agencies in the state that participate in the Electronic Traffic Information Exchange show 4,021 warnings and 5,227 citations …
Property/casualty insurers’ net income falls 67% in first half
The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income fell 67% to $6.9 billion during the first six months of this year compared with the same period a year earlier, according to a report to be released by A.M. Best Co. on Monday. The industry’s combined ratio deteriorated more than 9 …
U.S. safety board pushes for trucker cellphone ban
WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. government should ban truckers from using cellphones while driving except in emergencies, transportation safety investigators said on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendation came after it mostly blamed a fiery Kentucky crash last year that killed 11 people on the …
Is Washington, D.C., home to the worst drivers in America?
Want to avoid a car accident? Here’s a hint: Stay away from Washington, D.C. According to Allstate Insurance Co.’s annual report on the 200 largest U.S. cities and how safe it is to drive in them, the nation’s capital ranked at the bottom of the pile. Drivers in D.C. …
Most stolen vehicle: Cadillac Escalade
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Criminals seem to have a thing for big vehicles. The Cadillac Escalade remains the car most likely to be stolen, according to new data from the Highway Loss Data Institute. This is the fourth year in a row the Escalade has topped this list. The …
Tips to Avoid Being “Driven to Distraction”
WARWICK, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– In recent years, there’s been a great deal of attention paid to the issue of texting and driving, and with good reason: keeping your eyes on the tiny keyboard in front of you instead of the highway ahead is a sure way to head down the road …