Cell Phone Bans Don't Reduce Crashes, Study Finds

February 2010

Laws banning cell phone use while driving have had virtually no effect on the number of car crashes, according to a recent study. It compared the number of accidents that occurred before and after cell phone bans were implemented.

Although the use of hand-held cell phones has decreased between 41 and 76 percent in California, New York, Connecticut, and Washington, there was no change in the number of car accidents. The study, which was completed in December, measured cell phone use by observing roadways from corners and exit ramps both before and after bans began. The crash data compared the number of all crashes, not just those involving cell phones.

The Highway Loss Data Institute is baffled by the findings and suggested that perhaps they result from the fact that even though cell phones are a distraction, they may not be worse than the other activities that drivers engage in regularly. Another possibility, according to the group, is that drivers in the studied areas simply switched to hands-free phones which wouldn’t alter crash data since the two activities pose the same amount of risk.

Cell phone restrictions and bans vary from state to state, but thus far, seven jurisdictions have banned hand-held cell phones for all drivers and 19 have banned text messaging for all drivers. No state has banned hands-free phones for all ages, though some restrict teens.