• 18
  • July
    2011

Critics of distracted driving laws like handheld phone bans and texting while driving bans argue such laws do not reduce distracted driving car accidents and caution such laws may contribute to more distracted driving crashes. Two distracted driving pilot programs may offer enough evidence to quiet critics and demonstrate a path to successful enforcement of distracted driving laws.

Two distracted driving pilot programs have reduced distracted driving behavior in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Connecticut according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The pilot programs entitled "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other" combined the strategies of increased law enforcement and public education campaigns to reduce risky driving habits.

In Hartford, the program reduced handheld cellphone use while driving by almost 60 percent and reduced texting while driving over 70 percent. In Syracuse, handheld cellphone use and texting while driving were reduced by over one-third. Changes in distracted driving behavior after program time periods were measured by the observations of researchers and by public surveys.

One week before the results of the pilot programs were released, the Governors Highway Safety Association advised states without distracted driving bans to not pass such laws without research demonstrating the effectiveness of handheld phone and texting bans. Safety advocates say the reduction in the risk of distracted driving must be tackled in the same way that the promotion of seat belt use and the reduction of drunken driving were handled.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration next plans to create a similar state-wide program to further demonstrate effectiveness.

Source: USA Today, "Distracted-driving programs show success," Larry Copeland, 7/11/11