We’d had Halloween, now it’s Election Day. I wonder what will happen? I’ve been interested in government and democracy for decades. The photo is of me registering voters at my neighborhood supermarket years ago. Read more →

Parents shopping for a safe and reliable 2020 model for their teen drivers can consult a list of recommended vehicles by Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The organizations created this resource following their recently published list of recommended used vehicles for teens. Read more →

State insurance commissioners are failing to prevent windfall auto insurer profits as auto claims dropped when driving and auto crashes declined due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Consumer Federation of America and the Center for Economic Justice said. Read more →

IMMI is recalling about 162,000 UTV harnesses made for Polaris, Can-Am, and Kawasaki UTVs. The harness can be missing stitching, posing an injury hazard to the occupant by failing to properly restrain them in a crash. Read more →

The reduction in my auto insurance premiums that I’ve received from State Farm due to the pandemic is way too low. When I wrote about this topic in April, it looked like State Farm would be stepping up and doing a good job on the refunds. However, I looked through what I’ve paid for premiums since March and the reductions are paltry. Insurers and insurance regulators should provide ongoing auto premium relief as auto claims remain up to 50 percent below normal levels due to the covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions, the Consumer Federation of America and Center for Economic Justice recommend. The groups have monitored auto crashes in Texas and Massachusetts since March and continue to find that fewer miles driven translates into fewer auto accidents – but this hasn’t in turn translated into premium relief for many consumers. Read more →

It’s been a wearisome week for some of our boomer bloggers. They’ve been hunkered down during Hurricane Isaias. As a result of the storm, some had their internet and cable conk out for up to four days. One also had her computer malfunction, and it spent two days in the computer clinic. Fortunately, she didn’t have to get a new computer. Her Mac was returned in working order. Macs are good machines, in my experience. The boomers whose internets are working wrote about. Read more →

Teenagers are among the riskiest drivers, but they often end up with vehicles that don’t provide adequate protection in a crash. Often, they drive old cars that lack modern safety features such as side airbags or electronic stability control. And, when teenagers do drive a new car, it’s usually one of the smallest models, which don’t protect as well as larger vehicles in crashes.  This year, for the first time, Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have worked together to provide a list of safe, reliable, and affordable used vehicles for teenage drivers. The list of 65 recommended used vehicles ranges from $5,300 to $19,600. Read more →

Problems with car sales and repairs and home improvement and construction once again topped the list of complaints reported to state and local consumer agencies across the country, according to an annual survey by the Consumer Federation of America. The survey asked about the most common, fastest-growing, and worst complaints agencies received in 2019. Read more →

Polaris is recalling about 13,200 off road and utility vehicles in the United States and 515 units in Canada. An improperly manufactured clutch component can cause the engine braking feature to fail, resulting in unexpected vehicle motion, posing a crash hazard. Read more →

Polaris is recalling about 41,200 Model Year 2015-2020 AXYS Trail Performance and Crossover snowmobiles in the United States and about 16,100 in Canada. The fuel hose can be improperly secured, posing a fire hazard to consumers. Read more →