Bans on cell-phone use while driving: D.C. holds steady, NY slipping

A recent study [PDF] by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that while laws in New York, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. have reduced the practice of using hand-held cell phones while driving, the long-term effects have not been uniform.

The nation’s capital saw an immediate drop (41%) in hand-held cell phone use when the ban was instituted 5 years ago, a percentage which remains roughly the same. The reverse appears to be true in New York: In 2001, when the state’s ban took effect, cell-phone use while driving dropped by half. Now, seven years later, hand-held phone use is only a quarter less than what would be expected if no law existed. In Connecticut, cell phone use dropped by seventy-five percent when its law was enacted in 2005. Usage has increased there as well, but by a smaller percentage; now CT drivers use hand-helds sixty-five percent less than if there were no law.

Despite the increases, the IIHS notes that rates of talking on a cell phone while driving (without a hands-free device) is still lower than what would be expected if no laws existed.

For more on the institute’s report, see “Hands-free cell phone laws: Are they effective?” on the Consumer Reports Cars Blog. —Nick K. Mandle

Comments

[Ellen]

Although placing laws do not completely get rid of cellphone use while driving, it is definately worth the try. Enacting such laws will not stop everyone obviously, but with out a law no one will stop. I have seen evidence that talking on a phone impairs driving just as much, if not more, than drunk driving does. One person's decision to distract themselves can affect so many other people. It is the government's responsibility to keep our country safe. They should feel obligated to place a law whether it is followed or not. See more at http://bantexting.blogspot.com/