Auto

It’s not just what’s inside a pickup truck that thieves like to target, sometimes it’s the tailgate itself. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau the number of tailgate thefts has been increasing since 2009. Based on insurance claims for tailgate thefts, the NICB projects an 18 percent increase in tailgate thefts from 2011 to 2012. The NICB examined theft claims submitted to insurance companies from Jan. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2012. Texas topped the…

The nation’s car insurance companies consider a variety of factors in setting insurance rates. Many of these don’t involve driving at all. According to the Consumer Federation of America, the largest insurers frequently charge higher premiums to safe drivers than to those who recently caused an accident. In its third report on auto insurance premiums charged by the largest auto insurers, the Consumer Federation of America found that these insurers frequently charge higher premiums to…

While texting while driving is risky as it is, those who use their cell phones behind the wheel are more likely to engage in other risky behaviors. This includes speeding, driving drowsy, driving without a seatbelt and sending texts or emails, according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of licensed drivers also reported talking on a cell phone while driving within the last month, despite…

Only one in 10 drivers keep emergency supplies in their vehicle, putting themselves at risk of getting stranded, according to a survey by State Farm and KRC Research. Problems such as snow, ice, poor visibility and slick roads can become even worse if a motorist has nothing but junk in their trunk, placing themselves and their family at risk. More than 60 percent of drivers had some sort of “junk” (non-emergency supplies) in their trunk,…

There were an estimated 194,000 highway vehicle fires per year in the U.S. from 2008 to 2010, causing approximately 300 deaths, 1,250 injuries and $1.1 billion in property losses, according to a recent report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administration. These fires accounted for 14 percent of fires responded to by fire departments across the nation and included cars, commercial trucks and off-road vehicles used on the highway. The majority of highway…