KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new study says laws that ban texting while driving don’t reduce wrecks.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s claim-research arm released its findings Tuesday in Kansas City. The insurance-industry group compiled data from California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington immediately before and after driver texting was banned.
The study found the number of crashes continued along the same trajectory in three of those states even after the bans were implemented. In California, an increase in crashes followed the enactment of the state’s ban.
Institute spokesman Russ Rader said some crashes might be the result of drivers trying to keep phones out of view while texting.
Adrian Lund, president of the institute, cautioned that “finding no reduction in crashes, or even a small increase, doesn’t mean it’s safe to text and drive. … It’s just that bans aren’t reducing this crash risk.”
