Hand-held cellphone bans not curbing crashes
Switch to hands-free devices may be just as risky
Last Updated: Monday, February 1, 2010 | 11:48 AM ET
The Associated Press
The study found no change in accident patterns compared with nearby states without handheld bans. (CBC)A new U.S. insurance industry study has found that state laws banning the use of hand-held devices to make calls or send text messages while driving have not resulted in fewer vehicle crashes.
The study, released Friday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, examined insurance claims from crashes before and after such bans took effect in California, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.
The organization found that claims rates did not go down after the laws were enacted. It also found no change in patterns compared with nearby states without such bans.
Adrian Lund, the group's president, said the finding doesn't bode well "for any safety payoff from all the new laws."
Six states and the District of Columbia ban talking on a hand-held device for all drivers, while 19 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said its findings "don't match what we already know about the risk of phoning and texting while driving" and said it is gathering data to "figure out this mismatch."
It said one explanation could be an increase in the use of hands-free devices in places with bans on handset use while driving.
Jonathan Adkins, a spokesman for the governors association, said the new study "raises as many questions as it answers." The group is concerned that bans on hand-held devices simply encourage more drivers to use hands-free devices, which, it says, are just as risky.
The governors association is urging states to pass texting bans, but hold off on banning other cellphone use while driving until there is more data. The National Safety Council, meanwhile, supports a total ban on cellphone use while driving, including the use of hands-free devices.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Transportation Department banned truck and bus drivers from sending text messages on hand-held devices while operating commercial vehicles of more than 10,000 pounds. Federal employees are also prohibited from texting while driving government-owned vehicles or using government-owned equipment.
