According to news sources, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a group funded by auto insurers, is questioning the effectiveness of bans restricting the use of hand held devices while driving. The argument is in direct contrast to recent recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board to ban cell phone use while driving across the country.
The Institute claims to have studied data from both states that have implemented cell phone bans while driving as well as states with no such bans. The result, the group says, is cell phone use while driving actually decreases in states with such bans. However there did not appear to be any actual reduction in the number of crashes.
The NTSB has found that about 3,000 fatalities occur on the roadways each year due to distracted driving. It is unclear how many can be attributed to cell phone use however.
The NTSB is on the opposite end of the argument and recommends a three part approach to tackling the problem, namely increased enforcement, increased education and strengthening of the laws.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I know that distracted driving accidents are on the rise. I hope that by providing this information, motorists are able to stay safe on our roads. If you’ve were injured in an accident that you think was the result of the distracted driving of another, contact a Los Angeles car accident attorney to learn about the legal options open to you.
