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Are Anti-Texting Laws Causing More Accidents?
A new study finds that states with anti-texting laws actually saw accidents caused by distracted driving go up.
Posted 9/ 29 10 at 2:00 PM | News, Technology, Business Travel, Legal Issues, Logistics & Transportation
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It's no secret that distracted driving is a problem -- texting at the wheel pulls eyes off the road and has spurred anti-texting laws in 30 states and the District of Columbia. But new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute shows that these laws may not be making roads any safer.Researchers examined data from California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington in the months preceding and following the anti-texting implementation. In three of the four states, the number of accidents caused by distracted driving actually increased. And this correlation may be blamed on drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 -- 45 percent of this demographic admit to texting in spite of the bans. And in all four states, the number of crashes involving these young drivers increased.
"Noncompliance is a likely reason texting bans aren't reducing crashes," the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a statement.
Adrian Lund, president of the institutes, said the uptick in crashes may result from compounding distractions -- the act of texting while driving and also trying to hide the phone by holding it lower, which takes eyes off the road even longer.
But Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood disputes the implication that the texting bans are causing more accidents. LaHood said in his blog that the study "created a cause and effect that simply doesn't exist" and neglected to factor in effective enforcement. Moreover, he said the study failed to provide contextual data about "whether distracted driving behavior went up or down in the four hand-picked states."
And AAA also disagreed with the study's findings. "It is not realistic to expect that simply enacting a law to ban texting while driving will have a large, immediate impact on crash totals in a state in the first months," the organization said in a statement.
A study from the University of North Texas estimated that texting while driving caused 16,000 fatalities in the U.S. between 2001 and 2007.
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Comments (Page 1 of 8)
since most new phones are GPS capable; couldn't texting be blocked from phones moving at more than 5 mph? Yes, it would mean passengers couldn't text either. would that be such a bad thing? They could still talk on their phones. Seems like a reasonable trade-off for safer roads. Growing up in the 50's, everybody knew somebody who had been killed by a drunk driver. Vigorous enforcement and public education changed that horrible fact of life. The same will work for texting if we just try. Or just get robot cars and take the driving out of the hands of humans. Venturing out on the roads is by far the most dangerous thing we do and texting is only part of the problem. Laws should be written and enforced for "distracted driving", whether that is texting, getting the baby his bottle, finding the right dvd, checking the GPS, eating, etc. Driving requires 100% of attention; yet every year we come up with some new form of comfort, convenience or entertainment that ends up distracting drivers. Turning cars into office/living/dining/family rooms with DVD's etc. is just dangerous.
SPAMMERS! SCUM OF THE EARTH! REPORT THEM!
You are 100% correct. Disable all cellphones if you are moving over 5 mph. The one thing noone has mentioned even though i see it more and more often is idiots on their laptops driving down the road at 60 mph. I see cops do it too and I think its just as dangerous if not moreso than texting.
And AAA also disagreed with the study's findings. "It is not realistic to expect that simply enacting a law to ban texting while driving will have a large, immediate impact on crash totals in a state in the first months," the organization said in a statement.I am an Air Force and single at present .I need a woman who can love me back ..I also uploaded my hot photos on Uniformedmingle .c om under the name of hoho212..It's the largest and best club for seeking Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Police Force, and the admirers of those who wear the uniform.I just hope you don't mind me being a soldier ...Please Check it out!I'm serious.
I agree Jim. Unfortuately it will take a few years to get that sort of technology underway. I have four children, two of which will be driving age soon and it scares me to death to think of the way kids text and drive these days. I often catch myself and I think, I've got to set a better example! I would like to see a bluetooth/car compatible device specifically geared to teens that parents could buy where teens have to hang their phones up in their car, like on the console or dash, and they have to use a bluetooth to enable their car so that no texting can take place and both hands can stay on the wheel. If the phone came off the hook, the car slowly starts to decelerate to a slow stop to shut off.....slowly I said! Maybe even have controls in their steering wheel like some newer cars do. It will be costly but you can't put a price on your child's head or the other driver's on the road. I would certainly purchase it. 16th b-day present!!! There ya go!!
Texting accidents would be lowered if parents who are paying their teens or young adults cell phone bills would block the texting feature. If they're in class, they need to be paying attention not texting their friends and if in a car they shouldn't be texting at all. It would be extremely rare that something would be so urgent that a phone call couldn't be made or a handfree device used in a car. As a parent, I'm more concerned about my children's safety than their having the ability to text their friends. Too many parents don't take responsibility for their children's safety and find it easier to let their kids dictate to them. As long as I'm paying the bill, mine can live without texting but then I'm not one of those helicopter parents who text their kids every 5 seconds.
Take away their cars and their right to drive for five years and the
idiots who text and drive will wake up.
What about if you're on a bus? Or a long car ride in the back? If people aren't texting, there will be some other form of distraction. Laws will not bring about social change if the people are not willing to change. We're giving kids phones when they're 10 and 12 years old so by the time they're driving the phones are practically another limb. Another repercussion of several new technologies is the emphasis placed on multitasking. Isn't that the real problem here? Texting and talking might be manifestations of the problem, but it's really about multitasking. We probably shouldn't be multitasking when we're driving or when we're at school, but as a society we put so much value on being able to do two things at once that focusing on one thing is almost an archaic notion.
Deterrence obviously isn't working in this situation, the same way it isn't working for drug laws. Why? Because people will not change unless they make the internal decision to alter their behaviors. Punishing EVERYONE by rendering phones useless if traveling over 5mph is only going to force people to get more creative to pass the time in the car.
I have to disagree with the idea of litigating every little thing. The more laws we have, the more ridiculous our society becomes. It's personal responsibility that needs to be taught, not a rule for every possible offense anyone in our nation could possibly think to commit. Additionally, speaking as someone who easily becomes very drowsy when driving, I cannot place "100%" of my attention on the road or I will be out in 30 minutes. There are many people who have difficulty with the hypnotic task of driving longer distances. In a world in which the average commute time is 25 minutes, and very few cities have reliable/available public transportation, this becomes a serious issue. If laws were enacted to prohibit every possible driving "distraction," (eating, listening to books or music, having a conversation with your passenger or via telephone, etc.) the number of sleep related accidents would rise dramatically in my opinion. I certainly do not feel safe driving without some sort of stimulus to keep my mind engaged.
Jim: You're wrong. If a driver can't return a message by getting someone else in the car to do it, then he/she may just try to find a way to do it themselves, and certainly, there will be ways around it -- like turning the phone transmitter off and then back on.
Also, as a parent, I am much less distracted when the children in the car are occupied. So, turning the car into a living room with a DVD is much, much safer!
There is a cure for many types of distracted driving. Its called the Wheel Watcher (TM) Texting has become an addiction for most teens and many others.They can't stop when driving.While you are sitting at your computer, take one min. to go to Youtube "distracted driving cure 2". This problem will require a hardware fix, as opposed to bans, pledges or promises.With a Wheel Watcher steering wheel cover, a driver cannot text,eat, hold a cell phone or put on make up.
Of course, it must be the fault of a law that bans texting while driving. The increase just couldn't be attributed to an increase in the number of idiots who would text while driving. Our blameless society......
Just last night, I sat through a green light, sitting behind a young woman who was texting and couldn't be bothered by all the honking. When she finally moved on, she hit a burning 20 mph in a 45 zone, weaving into the two adjacent lanes and holding back all 3 lanes until she caught her turn.
Should have the same penalties ad DWI.
Why you didn't take her license plate No. and report her to police?
They need a phone implant. I see people diving and trying to talk all the time. Now they are trying to drive and are "Texting", or "Sexting."
We can pass all the laws we want. Things will not change until people remember to care about others. What brought them to this "me first" selfish attitude? What ever happened to "Character Education," which use to begin at home?
Neno, there is no law against texting in my state....Texas is a 'legislate me a profit' state. It isn't even considered as a factor when a texter does have a crash.
I think texting and being on the phone should be a federal offense. I am so tired of people who drive below the speed limit because they can't talk and drive at the same time. I'm tired of people cutting me off or almost driving into me as if to say "Sorry, but I am on the phone, so I'm handicapped." Well, I'm sorry, but I will be forced to take down your plate and call the police then.
your kind is the reason the world is so fk-up! everyone has a right to drive....and privilege is BS!
I am f*cked up because I just stated that I cannot take drivers who are on the phone and almost crash into me? What kind of idiot are you! I was told when I first drove that driving was a privilege and not a right.
You DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DRIVE, no more than you have the right to get drunk and drive, it is a privledge that can be revoked at any time, ask the millions of DUI people that have had the priviledge revoked. The laws obviously have not enough teeth to scare anyone. Get caught texting and driving, and I consider playing with your computer texting, lose your license for a year, two years second offence, four years for third, permanently for the fourth. It is against federal law to have your license revoked in one state and go to another and get a new one, by the way. Get caught and the Feds and both states get you.