Last updated April 12, 2019
Bans of the use of new and old cell phones while operating a motor vehicle need to be strictly enforced by police or they will offer little value, according to a new study. That is the conclusion reached by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which reviewed over 350 science papers on the effects of distracted driving.
“You know, that part isn’t really surprising,” admits the executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, Barbara Harsha. “We have known all along that just passing a law by itself isn’t going to make a difference.” Harsha points out that the banning of driving without a seatbelt or under the influence of alcohol did not result in widespread compliance by the general public until there was “highly visible enforcement of those laws”.
The new report, entitled “Distracted Driving: What Research Shows and What States Can Do” is intended to help the decision makers in US states who are thinking of implementing used cell phone driving bans. Many states have different laws, while some as yet have none at all, and part of the problem is the lack of absolutes when it comes to the issue of distracted driving. “Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” Harsha admits. “Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”