Gadgets Blog » Texting Bans Don’t Dissuade Drivers

The battle against the deadly habit of texting and driving has been, according to an article in PC World Magazine, utterly ineffective. According to a study released by the Highway Loss Data Institute, statewide bans on the action do next to nothing to decrease the crash rates in the 19 states that have enacted anti-texting laws. The results are a bit puzzling, and point towards a giant question mark as to the future of this type of legislation.

The organization, HDLI, responsible for the study works in close conjunction with a number of insurance companies, and the study was conducted in order to see if the legislation, including a recent ban on bus and truck drivers texting while driving, had any impact on overall road safety. The results are surprising to say the least, and the HDLI released the following statement in regards to their findings, which explains the procedure they used during the research:

HLDI researchers calculated monthly collision claims per 100 insured vehicle years (a vehicle year is 1 car insured for 1 year, 2 insured for 6 months each, etc.) for vehicles up to 3 years old during the months immediately before and after hand-held phone use was banned while driving in New York (Nov. 2001), the District of Columbia (July 2004), Connecticut (Oct. 2005), and California (July 2008). Comparable data were collected for nearby jurisdictions without such bans. This method controlled for possible changes in collision claim rates unrelated to the bans — changes in the number of miles driven due to the economy, seasonal changes in driving patterns, etc.

So what does this mean for drivers? Texting while driving has been linked in several studies to dangerous driving habits over the last several years. An earlier HLDI study found that cellphone use made a person four times as likely to be injured in a crash. Perhaps the most well-known study of this type was conducted by Virginia Tech, who found in 2009 that texting while driving made the driver 23 times as likely to be involved in a crash. These types of numbers would seem to indicate the opposite of what the most recent HLDI study revealed. Why the discrepancy? Further studies are likely to follow, to either confirm or deny these findings.

As for you, the driver, it should be noted that these laws are for a reason. Whether these results are occurring because people are ignoring the laws, or if there are other factors in place, it’s important to practice safe driving at all times. While that text message or phone call may seem important at the moment, an automobile accident is not something to take lightly, and the repercussions of dangerous driving can have an impact on both your well-being and your wallet, so be sure to keep your gadgets off the road.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/moriza/126238642

See also:

1. Driving Under the Influence
2. New Cell Phone Laws in California – Starts on July 1, 2008
3. An HUD Display for Your Car?
4. The Age of WikiLeaks: Military Bans Portable Data Devices
5. The MiniC.A.T Compressed Air Car: Where Did It Go?