Surprising new study suggests
cell phone bans don’t reduce car crashes
By Nolan Hester, Insure.com
Last updated Feb. 4, 2010
A new study suggests that laws banning drivers from using handheld cell phones have not reduced the number of vehicle crashes.
That surprise twist on the road to understanding the dangers of driving while talking on a cell phone comes from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
"It was surprising, partly because in previous research, we've seen that the laws can have an effect," says Russ Rader, spokesperson for IIHS.
The HLDI took data from car insurance claims for crash damages in four places before and after such bans took effect and compared them with data from nearby areas without bans. It found no real change in claims where bans had been instituted. New York enacted a ban in 2001, the District of Columbia in 2004, Connecticut in 2005 and California in 2008. Other states have been considering following their leads, at least until this study's release. Car insurance companies also will be giving the study a close look.
"We're not saying cell phone use isn't as risky as we thought," stresses Rader. Still, he's puzzled. "If cell phones are as big a risk as all our researchers think they are, then we should see something in the crash data."
Are drivers flouting the rules, or just going hands-free?
The study factored out such things as seasonal changes in driving and fluctuations in the miles driven tied to the economy. Rader offers two possible explanations for what's going on.
One simple explanation could be that many drivers may be ignoring the bans. More likely, however, is that many have switched to hands-free phones, such as those that use wireless earpieces. The problem, says Rader, is that hands-free phones are hardly less risky to use while driving.
Paul Green, a research professor at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute who studies driver distractions, agrees that hands-free phones could be part of the reason why crash-damage insurance claims haven't dropped.
"The analysis they did is a reasonable first pass," says Green. While it did not sort out crashes by type, such as drunk driving, mechanical defects or driver distraction, he says, "It's a good piece of work."
He added, "We have to go the next step and address the issue of hands-free phones and hand-held phones."
Green has been examining the differences and similarities between the two. With a hands-free phone, you don't have to take your eye off the road to dial a number. That makes it less distracting to drivers than a hand-held phone.
But the main thing you do on a phone – talk -- remains the same, so on that score a hands-free phone is no safer. Talking with passengers in your vehicle is not the same as talking on a phone, because passengers can see what's going on around your car and change their behavior accordingly. If you start skidding or brake hard to avoid a pedestrian, they'll immediately be quiet.
Just a moment, Mr. President, while I take this call
The biggest problem for drivers with cell phones -- hands-free or handheld -- may be simply that they ring.
"When the phone rings, people tend to go for it," says Green. To make his point, he says, imagine yourself at work in your office, and President Obama drops by to talk with you. Naturally, you would give the president your full attention -- but then your desk phone rings. You glance at it. You may even consider answering it for a fleeting moment.
"Who is calling that's more important than Barack Obama?" Green says, laughing. It doesn't matter who's calling -- but no matter how much you try not to be, you've been distracted.
Technical solutions to human foibles
Toyota's recent recall of millions of cars for faulty acceleration pedals put a spotlight on mechanical defects. But, Rader points out, 90 percent of all crashes are caused by driver mistakes.
"Reaching into the back seat for a CD or fumbling with the iPod to change the music selection or spilling the coffee -- all those things are distractions and can lead to crashes," Rader says. Cell phone laws target only a "thin slice" of the range of driver distractions. "There's a lot more research to do to untangle the conundrums that this study raises."
Ultimately, he says, lawmakers may need to broaden their focus in the battle against driver distraction. Some luxury brand cars, for example, are starting to include sonarlike devices to alert drivers to imminent crashes. Even the lower-priced Ford Taurus now offers this as an option, says Rader. "These things are going to be a lot more common in five years."
About the author: Nolan Hester has worked as an award-winning reporter and editor for newspapers and magazines and as an environmental communications expert for government agencies. He has written about a variety of local and national policy issues.
