Study shows cell phone bans may not prevent crashes

Legislation banning cell phone use while driving a car was intended to reduce the number of crashes on the roads, but a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute indicates that the laws may not be fulfilling their purpose. When comparing the frequency of collision insurance claims made in states that enacted a ban against cell phone use to those that didn’t, a study shows that claim rates remain similar.

The HLDI looked at the collision claims per 100 vehicles in three areas that had banned all cell phone usage while driving—California, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia—and compared them with surrounding states (for example, Connecticut was compared to Massachusetts and New York). The study grouped the states in this way to account for the differences in the economy, miles driven, and seasonal effects.

The frequency of collision claims in states with cell phone bans tracked the frequency in states without pretty closely. There’s no marked downward trend in the cell phone ban states relative to their neighbors, as might be expected of a law intended to keep eyes on the road and minds from wandering.

The study could be criticized for using only the broadest definition of collision claims, rather than only cell phone-related ones (HLDI asserts it doesn’t have access to such specific information), or for the way it makes its comparisons, as geography may not be a relevant way to relate states to each other. On the other hand, drivers may be able to avoid reporting some cell phone-related accidents to their insurance because they are relatively minor. Either way, the effectiveness of the cell phone bans seems to bear further investigation.