Driver Cellphone and Texting Bans in the United States: Evidence of Effectiveness

Almost all U.S. states have laws limiting drivers' cellphone use. The evidence suggests that all-driver bans on hand-held phone conversations have resulted in long-term reductions in hand-held phone use, and drivers in ban states reported higher rates of hands-free phone use and lower overall phone use compared with drivers in non-ban states. Bans on all phone use by teenage drivers have not been shown to reduce their phone use. The effects of texting bans on the rates of drivers' texting are unknown. With regard to the effects of bans on crashes, 11 peer-reviewed papers or technical reports of all-driver hand-held phone bans and texting bans were reviewed. Some were single-state studies examining crash measures before and after a state ban; other national or multi-state studies compared crashes in states with and without bans over time. The results varied widely. The lack of appropriate controls and other challenges in conducting strong evaluations limited the findings of some studies. Thus, despite the proliferation of laws limiting drivers' cellphone use, it is unclear whether they are having the desired effects on safety. Priorities for future research are suggested.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4001674/
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.aaam.org/Publications.php
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
• Corporate Authors:

  Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

  P.O. Box 4176
  Barrington, IL  United States  60011-4176
• Authors:
  • McCartt, Anne T
  • Kidd, David G
  • Teoh, Eric R
• Conference:
  • Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) Engaged Driving Symposium
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2014-3-31 to 2014-3-31
• Publication Date: 2014-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 99-114
• Monograph Title: Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine. AAAM Engaged Driving Symposium, Washington, DC, March 31, 2014
• Serial:
  • Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine
  • Volume: 58
  • Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)
  • ISSN: 1943-2461

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Cellular telephones; Crash data; Distraction; Drivers; Highway safety; Laws and legislation; Literature reviews; Mobile telephones; Risk assessment; State laws; Teenage drivers; Text messaging; Traffic law enforcement; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01545557
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 26 2014 3:07PM