Researchers at the University of Colorado together with RAND Corporation, led by Daniel Kaffine, associate professor of economics at the University of Colorado, have being looking at the effectiveness of the laws, banning driving with a hand held mobile phone.
They looked at accident rates in California, both before and after July 2008 which was when the law was enacted. They took into account gas prices, miles traveled, rainfall, and holidays, which all impact on traffic patterns and crashes. They expected to find a five to 10 percent drop in accidents but surprisingly there was no difference in the rate of accidents after the ban on using hand held phones was introduced.
Kaffine concluded that bans have little impact on accidents, as drivers simply ignore the law, and even if they switch to hands free devices, they appear to be just as dangerous. He concluded that the problem was one of compliance, so increasing the fines for talking on cell phones would likely increase the effectiveness of the ban. However, if a person was constantly distracted while driving, and using the cell phone was just one of many things they might do, that was a different problem to resolve.
If you, or someone you know, have been the victim of a serious car accident involving a driver who was driving while distracted, contact the Reno accident attorneys of Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little at (702) 699-7500 or contact us online today.
