Study: Bans on texting don’t reduce car crashes
Posted September 28, 2010 2:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Researchers in the U.S. say laws that ban texting while driving don’t cut down on crashes and might actually increase the risk of accidents.
The study looked at collisions in four U.S. states immediately before and after their laws were introduced. In three of the four states that banned texting, the number of crashes spiked right after the new laws came into effect.
The reason? The study says it might be because more drivers are hiding their phones while they’re texting.
Anne Fleming with the U.S. Institute for Highway Safety says that doesn’t mean typing into a phone while driving is safe. “I don’t want anybody to take away from this study that texting while driving isn’t hazardous. It’s definitely hazardous. We have quantified the hazard. It’s just that so far these laws are not reducing the risk of a crash.”
Fleming adds it’s a tough law for police to enforce.
