A new report by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an arm of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says that states that enacted bans on using cell phones while driving haven't seen any notable changes in accident reports.
"The laws aren't reducing crashes, even though we know that such laws have reduced hand-held phone use, and several studies have established that phoning while driving increases crash risk," says Adrian Lund, president of both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and HLDI.
So take from this what you will. Anything that gets drivers to pay more attention to actually driving seems like a win in our book.
billt9 says:
07:00 AM, 01/30/10
The drivers who were prone to text while driving have found a new hobby, and have converted to while driving. So they're still doing something.
f1ndler says:
08:32 AM, 01/30/10
Has there been any study made on eating and driving? It wouldn't be fair to bad this one too))
DLu says:
09:01 AM, 01/30/10
This is laughable. A ban on HANDHELD phone use is worthless, since using earpieces/bluetooth etc will still allow people to talk while driving. The distraction is in the conversation with another person (who, btw, is not going to pause like a passenger would be able to when traffic patterns suddenly become more complex), not in holding a phone. If holding a phone is the actual culprit, then driving a manual transmission, by taking one hand off the steering wheel, should also be banned. There is plenty of research out there (e.g. quoted on cars.com) that points to this.
inlinesix says:
11:13 AM, 01/30/10
I find its more distracting to pug in a hands free set (compared to just picking up the phone for a minute or two) when driving the few times I need to take a call on the road.
inlinesix says:
11:18 AM, 01/30/10
Speaking of this, are they going to ban driving with 6 passengers? Thats something that is bound to be distracting. How about getting into your glovebox... Lets ban teen girls from riding with other teen girls.....
blueguydotcom says:
11:19 AM, 01/30/10
The laws are not enforced. I see hundred of people with a phone to their ear everyday. It cracks me up when it's someone with a luxury car and they're still using a phone rather than bluetooth. Maybe if there was an actual crackdown - like we've had with seatbelts we'd see a change. Right now, no enforcement means that the laws are meaningless (like drinking and drug laws).
roadburner says:
11:45 AM, 01/30/10
IIHS also claims that better training for teen drivers and ABS don't improve driver safety. However, they DO claim that the 55 mph speed limit saves lives. The IIHS is just another mouthpiece for the safety nannys and the fun police.
charlesb says:
11:59 AM, 01/30/10
People are still using their cell phones with impunity, you can't legislate common sense.
thejohnp says:
12:02 PM, 01/30/10
As more people watch their GPS and in dash visuals rather than look out the window, you're going to see more and more crashes.
clarkma5 says:
12:07 PM, 01/30/10
Probably because NOBODY HAS STOPPED USING CELL PHONES UNDER THE BANS. I see people talking on their cell phones every few minutes as I drive along, and our ban's been in place since July 1, 2008.
the_big_al says:
12:52 PM, 01/30/10
My line of thinking is that the law doesn't work because those that actually obey the law and decide not to use the phone while driving are the same type of people who actually pay attention to driving and either didn't use the phone before the law and or would have been able to make driving their main focus whether they were on the phone or not. They have common sense and know what is safe or not. They don't need a law to dictate that to them.
Those that are completely absorbed by texting and talking on the phone and therefore prone to causing an accident while doing so are the same type of people who will completely ignore this type of law. They are so self absorbed that they think they are above any type of law and therefore exempt. So they will continue in their ways and eventually cause an accident by doing so because they think they are too good for a law like this. Any type of law passed will do no good because they aren't going to follow it anyway especially if it's not being enforced.
majin_ssj_eric says:
02:35 PM, 01/30/10
If you are a reasonably intelligent person and a decent driver, talking on a cell phone while driving is really not a problem. The people that have cell phone-related accidents are usually morons who A) can't do more than one thing at a time (like walk and chew gum), B) get confused at a four-way stop sign intersection, and C) never gave a crap about driving in the first place (i.e. women).
I can somehow manage to talk on my hands-free setup whilst driving nearly every day without spontaneously plowing into the side of a moving van....
firstwagon says:
05:06 PM, 01/30/10
Bad drivers will just find another reason to crash.
I've been saying for ages that you should seriously toughen test standards and those that fail can take public transit.
If they really wanted to improve safety (rather then just jump on whatever politically correct cause that comes along) they would have done that a long time ago.
Nobody listens to me though.
roadburner says:
08:18 PM, 01/30/10
"Bad drivers will just find another reason to crash"
I think you are right; if those idiots aren't texting or phoning they will be driving with one hand on the bottom of the wheel and reaching for something in the back seat with the other, or holding a drink in one hand with a Big Mac propped on the dash.
The problem is that the morons don't take driving seriously; their skills suck whether they are cell phone impaired or not...
blueguydotcom says:
08:45 AM, 01/31/10
first, i agree. Much tougher licensing and enforcement would be great. Drive in Germany and then in the US and A. Wow night and day. Germans move to the right on freeways! They signal! They pay attention. If someone wanted to believe in heaven then the autobahn might be the impetus for it.
abqhudson says:
08:53 AM, 01/31/10
No reduction is cell phone use because there is no enforcement. Typical government - all talk, no action.
brn says:
10:22 AM, 01/31/10
A lot of hate directed at cell phones here. As firstwagon said, bad drivers are going to find a way to crash.
The problems isn't the distractions. The problem is drivers lack priority. I sometimes use a cellphone when driving. I make darn sure my priority is paying attention to the road. As a result, I'll miss parts of a conversation. People that call me learn to deal with that.
We can chase one distraction after another or we can properly educate drivers. I vote for the later.
throwback says:
05:36 AM, 02/ 1/10
No reduction in claims is because people are ignoring the law. Same thing happens with seatbelts.
f1ndler says:
09:07 AM, 02/ 1/10
I'm the one who ignores the law about the cellphones. When I'm driving while talking on a phone I keep my eyes open for a cop, and when I see one, I just stop talking until my car is out of his sight. Although, I do think that there is some correlation related to car accidents and cellphone use, I wait for my first ticket for violating this law and only then I'll start using a bluetooth.
mrryte says:
10:11 AM, 02/ 1/10
abqhudson says:
"No reduction in cell phone use because there is no enforcement. Typical government - all talk, no action."
EXACTLY.
Down here in Texas, there was a new law banning handheld cellphone use in school zones. I've yet to hear or see any cops citing anyone for such an infraction though I see countless parents & guardians still yakking and texting away while waiting for their little ones. :-/
firstwagon says:
04:28 PM, 02/ 1/10
"No reduction in claims is because people are ignoring the law. Same thing happens with seatbelts."
Who's dumb enough not to wear a seatbelt? last time I heard usage was above 98%.
brn says:
05:45 PM, 02/ 1/10
I actually participated in a seatbelt survey about ten years ago. I stood on busy street corner and observed seat belts as cars drove by. I don't remember the exact results, but darn near everyone wore seat belts.
DLu says:
10:18 AM, 02/ 2/10
@ firswagon and brn,
some states' seatbelt rates are only in the 70% range.