ID Number		1047
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		Mobile phone use by car drivers and correlation with accidents and response to new laws
Details		Meta-analysis of multiple driving studies (n = 125) looking at correlations between mobile phone use and vehicle accidents. The authors report a consistent correlation between mobile phone use (whether hands-on or hands-free) and auto crashes. The authors estimate an ~4 fold increase in crashes associated with mobile phone use while driving. In a related study following a June 2001 law passed in NY State banning mobile phone use while driving, there was a corresponding “strong effect” in reducing mobile phone use while driving. Drivers of 37,462 vehicles in four New York communities were compared to 21,315 drivers from two Connecticut communities with no mobile phone law analyzed for mobile phone use by passive observation. Gender and estimated age were also recorded. There was a significantly higher rate of mobile phone use while driving associated with sport utility vehicles and "minimal" among drivers 60 or older. The authors conclude, however, that while the current law was effective in changing behavior, "reductions in mobile phone use while driving may or may not be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in crashes". A similar ban in North Carolina (in drivers younger than 18) was evaluated for compliance both prior (11.0%) and subsequent (11.8%) to the date the law was enacted. The authors report in nearby South Carolina, high school students also had a stable (13%) use rate while driving even with a similar ban. Students knew about the ban, but support and compliance was greater among parents (95% vs 74%). The authors conclude that mobile phone restrictions have little to no effect on teenage drivers' use.
Findings		Not Applicable to Bioeffects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		Highway Safety Res Center, Univ NC, USA - rob_foss@unc.edu
Funding Agency		Hwy Safety, USA
Country		UNITED STATES
References		Foss, RD et al. Accid Anal Prev, (2009) 41:419-424 McCartt, AT et al. Traffic Inj Prev, (2006) 7:89-106 McCartt, AT et al. Preventive Medicine, (2003) 36:629-635
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