Gear Diary Banning phone and texting while driving doesnt work photo

Ok, we all know that logically, texting while driving isn’t a smart thing to do.  It’s too distracting from driving, and one could wind up with some serious repercussions. And, in cases where the state hasn’t enacted the law about requiring a Bluetooth headset while talking on the phone, the same thoughts apply.  This is just common sense.

So, state legislatures have been working hard to put laws in place to ban phone usage and texting while driving to save us from those ‘serious repercussions.’  Has it worked?  Well, according to a study put out by the Highway Loss Data Institute, the answer is no.

“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 HLDI.

The HLDI compared collisions of 100 insured vehicles per year in New York, Washington DC, Connecticut, and California — all states with currently enacted roadway text bans. Despite those laws, monthly fluctuations in crash rates didn’t change after bans were enacted, [although] there were less people using devices while driving. An earlier study conducted by the HLDI reported that cellphone use was directly linked to four-fold increases in crash injuries. Also independent studies done by universities have shown correlation between driving while using a phone and crashes.

So what does all of this REALLY mean?  Well, don’t phone/text and drive. Period.  Will people actually follow this?  No.  Is there any real way to eliminate this problem in the future?  I am thinking auto-pilot in cars (a la Demolition Man).

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  • Joel McLaughlin

    Mello greetings Amy Zunk. How are you on this Joy Joy day??

  • David Goodspeed

    Yeah, but Oprah is behind it now and if she can put a man in the white house….

  • DavidB

    I’d say this is a “Duh” report. The root cause of so many of these crashes is being distracted while driving. Studies have repeatedly shown that using a hands free device doesn’t make you any less distracted.

    With all the in dash entertainment shown at this year’s CES, it is only going to get worse. Ridiculous people somehow think they have a RIGHT to watch a movie or tweet or FaceBook while they’re behind the wheel. Hell, people even get in an uproar over having to pull over to reprogram their in-dash nav system!

    Why can’t we just pay attention and DRIVE?

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  • Drew Guttadore

    Come on USA! Catch up! The rest of the civilised world has banned this stuff for years! The next wave is banning holding GPS devices (Phones) whilst driving. Too many people holding their iPhone whilst figuring out directions to locations..

    I always thought that cup holders were the way to go, then I drove around in Europe, believe me, both hands on the wheel! Haven’t looked back..

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