Two reports on distracted driving show some successes with laws passed banning cell-phone use and texting while driving, but also demonstrate that more research needs to be done to truly gauge the laws' effectiveness.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) points to programs in two cities that have reduced distracted driving as a result of a crack-down by law enforcement and a public-education campaign.
Programs in Syracuse, N.Y. and Hartford, Conn. used increased police enforcement during a campaign named "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other," as well as paid advertising and media coverage, to reduce the use of hand-held cell phones and texting while driving, says the NHTSA.
Police in these cities wrote more than 9,500 citations each for talking or texting on cell phones while driving during the programs, which were funded with $200,000 in federal funds and $100,000 in state funds.
The NHTSA says its researchers observed cell-phone use before and after the programs. In Syracuse, hand-held cell-phone use and texting dropped by one-third. In Hartford, where the NHTSA says use was far more rampant, hand-held cell-phone use declined by 57 percent and texting dropped by nearly three-quarters, the administration says.
The NHTSA says nearly 5,500 people died and 500,000 were injured in 2009 from crashes involving a distracted driver.
But the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which represents the highway-safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, says it looked at 350 papers on distracted driving published from 2000 to 2011 and found that existing research is "incomplete or contradictory," says Barbara Harsha, executive director of GHSA.
"Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know," she adds in a statement. "Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it."
The GHSA's report—produced with a grant from State Farm—says limited research suggests cell-phone use does increase crash risk, but no one knows by how much. Additionally, there is no conclusive evidence about whether hands-free cell-phone use is any safer than hand-held use.
Texting "probably" increases risk, but no evidence exists to prove if cell-phone use or texting bans reduce accidents.
Therefore, GHSA advises states that do not have handheld bans to wait until more research is done before passing laws. In the meantime, the association urges states with bans to enforce them.
"While distracted driving is an emotional issue that raises the ire of many on the road, states must take a research-based approach to addressing the problem," Harsha says. "Until more research is conducted, states need to proceed thoughtfully, methodically and objectively."
The GHSA also recommends other measures, such as edge-line and center-line rumble strips to alert drivers when they swerve. The association asks that distracted driving be recorded in crash reports to assist in the evaluation of laws.
Based on the research it looked at, the GHSA says states should consider passing cell-phone bans for novice drivers and texting bans for everyone.
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