WASHINGTON — A new insurance industry study has found that state laws banning the use of hand-held devices to make calls or send text messages while driving have not resulted in fewer vehicle crashes.
The study, released Friday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, examined insurance claims from crashes before and after such bans took effect in California, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.
The organization found that claims rates did not go down after the laws were enacted. It also found no change in patterns compared with nearby states without such bans.
Adrian Lund, the group’s president, said the finding doesn’t bode well “for any safety payoff from all the new laws.”
Six states and the District of Columbia ban talking on a hand-held device for all drivers, while 19 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Colorado bans texting while driving and all cellphone use for drivers under 18.
The Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said its findings “don’t match what we already know about the risk of phoning and texting while driving” and said it is gathering data to “figure out this mismatch.” The governors association is concerned bans on hand-held devices encourage more drivers to use hands-free devices, which, it says, are just as risky.
In a blog post Friday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood dismissed the study’s conclusions as irresponsible and said the study will lead people “to wrongly conclude that talking on cellphones while driving is not dangerous.”
This week, the Transportation Department banned truck and bus drivers from texting while operating vehicles of more than 10,000 pounds. Federal employees are also prohibited from texting while driving government vehicles or using government equipment.
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