California Proposes Anti-Steering Regulation Focusing on Deceptive Statements
Posted on Mar 30, 2016
Through a recently proposed regulation, the California Department of Insurance seeks to amend the rules preventing insurers from steering claimants to specific auto repair shops. The proposed amendments relate to a variety of issues, such as when a claimant has “chosen” an automotive repair shop and what constitutes an unreasonable distance for a claimant to travel. The focus of the amendments, however, is on false or deceptive statements. The amendments set forth guidelines as to the kind of statements that are considered deceptive or misleading, such as advising the claimant...
Continue Reading
Perspective: Attitudes Towards Autonomous Technology
Posted on Mar 25, 2016
Andrew Ng, a chief scientist at Baidu, a Beijing based web services company, has authored an article that suggests a more productive way of thinking about autonomous driving technology. He posits that we should avoid trying to make autonomous vehicles act like human driven cars, change our infrastructure to make vehicle behavior as predictable as possible, and “teach” the public how to interact with autonomous cars because trying to make autonomous cars behave like humans would be like paving over the cow paths. Ng, however, oversimplifies the teaching part of the equation. What we...
Continue Reading
Fed Warns Public About Car Hacking
Posted on Mar 24, 2016
The FBI , the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) have issued a bulletin warning the public that vehicles are becoming increasingly vulnerable to hacking. The agencies have offered tips to prevent hacking, including limiting the number of third-party devices you plug into your car and ensuring your vehicle’s software is up to date.
Continue Reading
Perspective: Smart Tires
Posted on Mar 23, 2016
Some tire manufactures are developing “smart tires” that will be able to communicate the vehicle’s control system. This new autonomous technology will communicate with other vehicles and with smart transportation and roadway systems that many are predicting. In addition, one manufacturer, Goodyear, is working with a concept tire, Eagle 360, on a dodge ball type sphere that will connect to a vehicle magnetically and function more like a ball bearing does. We have come a long way from the first stone age wheels. From a rules of the road perspective, we will probably see new standards as to...
Continue Reading
AUTOMAKERS PLEDGE TO MAKE AUTOMATIC BRAKING STANDARD
Posted on Mar 17, 2016
Nearly all automakers have pledged to make automatic emergency braking standard on all models by 2022. Automatic braking systems exert control and stop vehicles without driver intervention in emergency situations. This technology is an improvement on many current systems that simply warn drivers of a pending collision. By the end of 2016, regulators will revamp the star rated evaluation of safety systems to reflect that cars not equipped with advanced safety systems, such as automatic braking and lane departure crash avoidance, will receive lower star ratings. This is a significant...
Continue Reading
Sutherland Class Action Report: 2010-2015
Posted on Mar 16, 2016
Over the last decade, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a string of opinions with profound implications for the enforceability of arbitration provisions and class action waivers in consumer contracts. These decisions, the most recent of which was issued in December 2015, will continue to impact a wide range of businesses and industries for the foreseeable future, including the automotive and insurance fields. This Sutherland analysis takes a retrospective look at a handful of the most important decisions, and explains why businesses should be paying attention.
Continue Reading
NHTSA TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS ON AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Posted on Mar 16, 2016
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it will hold a pair of public meetings to gather input as it develops guidelines for automated vehicle technology. The meetings, to be held in Washington, D.C. and California, will seek to gather information on several issues related to the safe operation of automated vehicles. The meetings are part of the NHTSA’s efforts to provide manufacturers with operational guidance as they develop self-driving cars, one of the five autonomous vehicle initiatives announced by the NHTSA earlier this year at the North American Auto...
Continue Reading
WILL AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES BE AT RISK TO HACKING?
Posted on Mar 16, 2016
Vehicle hacking has become a serious concern in the wake of several high profile hacks like the 2015 hack of a Jeep Cherokee conducted by Wired Magazine. Mikko Hypponen, a Finnish security expert with the firm F-Secure, warns that hacking could present an even bigger threat to autonomous vehicles. Hypponen believes that as self-driving cars become more widespread hackers will increasingly target the vehicles. The automated nature of the vehicles also presents the risk for new forms of hacking not yet applied to cars. In particular, Hypponen cautions that ransomware, a hack that is...
Continue Reading
FORD TESTS AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN WINTER WEATHER
Posted on Mar 16, 2016
Ford recently announced that they are the first automaker to test fully autonomous vehicles in winter weather, including snow – a major step toward fully autonomous driving. Inclement weather, and in particular snow, has proven to be an issue for autonomous vehicles as the vehicles learn to process surrounding environments obscured by weather conditions. Ford’s fully autonomous vehicles use high-resolution 3D mapping and LiDAR for localization to facilitate driving when road markings are not visible. Winter weather testing strengthens Ford leadership in autonomous vehicle development,...
Continue Reading
Industry Urges Congress To Take the Lead in Autonomous Vehicle Regulation
Posted on Mar 16, 2016
Google, Lyft, General Motors and other automakers testified before the Senate yesterday, asking Congress to remove barriers in the way of autonomous vehicle development. Google stressed that a framework for regulation on autonomous vehicles is needed to avoid conflicting state laws. Conversely, Congress also heard testimony from various sources cautioning against rushing new technology to the roads due to safety concerns. Automakers testified, however, that autonomous vehicles will make roads safer and the environment greener.
Continue Reading
IL House Considering Storage Fee Bill
Posted on Mar 9, 2016
The Illinois House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require vehicle storage providers to send a certified letter disclosing their rates to a vehicle lienholder before charging storage fees. Under the proposed law, the storage provider must also provide the lienholder an opportunity to inspect the vehicle on the premise. The bill, HB 6169 was introduced by Rep. Ron Sandack (R), and is currently before the Rules Committee.
Continue Reading
New System Aids LA Police Identify Drivers with Lapsed Policies
Posted on Mar 7, 2016
A new monitoring system is being launched in Louisiana to assist police with enforcement of a state requirement that drivers are up to date on paying their auto insurance premiums. The system will pull reports from insurers and provide the data to the state Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) and to state police. Troopers will then be able to check the database during traffic stops. A recent report by the Insurance Research Council found 12 -15 % of drivers in the state are uninsured. Last year, the OMV issued a large number of fines to Louisiana residents in lapsed insurance cases.
Continue Reading
New Auto Body Labor Rate Survey Regulations
Posted on Mar 4, 2016
The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation recently adopted amendments to regulations in the Division of Insurance and the Division of Commercial Licensing governing auto body labor rate surveys. The amendments provide that insurers writing less than 1% of the total premium volume of auto insurance during the prior year can either voluntarily conduct a survey or adopt a labor rate filed by another insurer; clarify that the department will publish a list of insurers with more than a 1% market share every year on May 1; and incorporate language from 2015 legislative changes on the...
Continue Reading
Upcoming Vote on Auto Glass Repair in Arizona
Posted on Mar 4, 2016
A vote before the Arizona House of Representatives is anticipated this March on an amendment to a bill regarding unlawful practices relating to glass repair. The amended bill makes it a Class 6 felony to commit acts such as representing what auto glass coverage is available under the insurance policy, threaten or coerce an insured to file a claim for auto glass repair, or waive or offer to waive the insured’s deductible with intent to injure, defraud, or deceive the insurer. In addition to the felony charge, violations under this act carry potential civil monetary penalties.
Continue Reading
