Laws banning cellphone use while driving have no effect: study

The underlying assumption that passing a law changes behavior is simplistic at best. People don't base their decisions on completely logical considerations. And if law enforcement is lax, which in this case we all know it to be, then the intended deterrent effect of the law itself is low. As I look around me while driving I'm increasingly aware that people are ignorant of the basic risks, at best. Furthermore, I have the overwhelming sense that cell phone ownership and use of been effectively promoted as social status and privilege. Anything that interferes with the self-indulgent nature of such status symbols, like laws restricting cell phone use, might be logical, but it's met with resistance because it challenges our cultural concept of individualism. Modern day political discussion is replete with the message that individuals collectively know better than government. After all, this is a core principle of what passes for an explanation of free market capitalism in this country, and conservative politicians routinely call for less government regulation without debating the merits of specific proposals. It' those lousy liberals limiting your freedom that call for such laws, never mind the intents. IF CR varies proportionally to CPU use AND A2L < 1 THEN a law intended to change CPU is unlikely result in Crash Reduction CR = 'Cash Rick' CPU = 'Cell Phone Use' A2L = 'Adherence to the Law' CRC = 'CPU related Crash Rate' Additionally, remember that insurance companies actually stand to gain from this because they can raise premiums based on loss rates. You don't see any evidence that they have implemented a policy would penalize drivers for cell phone use behind the wheel, do you... Since premiums go up in order to meet profitability goals as a percentage of operational costs, the more it costs to do business, the more you pay as a customer. This with the implicit approval of each state's regulatory agency. Unlike other aspects of the insurance cabal, there is no reward structure for 'good' behavior in this case.

While Mr. Selleg starts of well, his degeneration to a political rant about conservatives and the insurance industry does little to advance the discussion and provides more heat than light. What regulators of all stripes are either unwilling or unable to comprehend is that driving has less to do with you hands than with you mind. If your attention is divided between trying to understand a “removed” voice and formulating your response, while driving a vehicle at relatively high speed amongst other vehicles and roadside distractions, you can not maintain the situational awareness necessary for the safe operation of the machine. This is why in aircraft operations one pilot talks on the radio or handles inflight problems while the other pilot devotes his full attention to flying the airplane. Granted that driving a car is not the equivalent of flying an airplane, but neither is the training or testing for driving a car the equivalent of that for flying an airplane. When driving, the focus should be on the safe operation of the vehicle, not talking on the phone trying to seek a consensus on what is for dinner tonight. The inability to maintain situational awareness while on the cell phone is little different from that of drunk drivers, conservatives and insurance employees included.

This looks like a pretty decent study, although I would rather see a more granular approach using finer defined data, like, age of drivers, etc. With the data they used there would not seem to be any way to do this. The study was done by the HLDI, which is entirely funded by the insurance industry, and I don't see how the conclusions monetarily support any of their supporters. This doesn't seem to be an agenda driven study like those by Greenpeace or the WWF on climate change using bogus numbers or politically correct assumptions.

Duh... It is not the cell phone usage it is destractions in general. Even a study said it was the conversation that is the issue.. Well what if the person you are conversing with is in the next seat.. still a distraction. or perhaps a person day dreaming or talking to themselves, or.... I could go on. Until we remove the HUMAN from behind the wheel there are going to be accidents. that simple.

Shouldn't journalist for whom language is a tool of their trade know how to use less vs. fewer?

Duh its not really rocket science to use a mobile phone thats why there is bluetooth headsets and guide books

on how to use it

i think it is ridiculious that people must use there cellphones while driving to a destination.

Laws do have an impact, but let's be realistic here, they won't stop people from behaving badly. We have laws against drikking and driving, theft, murder, but everyday we have story in the news about someone who did those kind of things. For texting while driving, it think laws will be helpful to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. I know I learned a lot by reading the articles on TextNDrive at http://www.textndrive.com/textingwhiledriving.php