Many countries now have laws in place that ban texting while driving. The concern is, of course, that texting can distract drivers making them more likely to crash than if they weren’t using their phone. However, a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) in the United States indicates that these bans may actually increase the number of crashes reported by drivers rather than reducing them.
The study looked at car crash claims in four U.S. states before and after a text messaging ban for drivers was introduced. It also compared patterns of car crash claims in nearby states where texting laws weren’t substantially changed during the same time period, to find out how many were for collisions unrelated to these bans.
What the HLDI report found was that there was no decrease in the number of crashes that were reported as a result of the texting bans. In fact, there were more collisions after the law was put into place than before in three of the four states that were studied. The president of HLDI and the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) said the results suggest that people who continue to text in spite of a ban may be at the most risk of getting into a car accident.
This report is consistent with the findings of a previous report completed by the HLDI which showed that banning hand-held phone use while driving does not reduce the number of car crashes. This strongly suggests that bans are not the most effective way to deal with the problems associated with drivers being distracted by their mobile phones.
Learn more about the evolution of mobile phone driving laws here.
One Comment
Business people need to ‘hit the ball over the net’. Teens consider it rude not to reply immediately to texts. Home schedules would grind to a halt without immediate communication. We are conditioned to pursue this level of efficiency but we are all supposed cease this behavior once we sit in our respective 5,000 pound pieces of steel and glass. Anyone can win an argument in a forum like this by saying “Just put the phone away” – but we can see its just not happening.
I just read that 72% of teens text daily – many text more 3000 times a month. New college students no longer have email addresses! They use texting and Facebook – even with their professors. This text and drive issue is in its infancy and its not going away.
I decided to do something about it after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me by a texting driver. Instead of a shackle that locks down phones and alienates the user (especially teens) I built a tool called OTTER that is a simple app for smartphones. I think if we can empower the individual then change will come to our highways now and not just our laws.