New Survey Finds Texting And Driving To Be Safe--Wait, What?
Ready for a real shocker? That texting and driving habit you've been trying to kick may not be as bad for you as the insurance companies have led you to believe. Of course, we would still recommend putting the phone down while you're driving (we're speaking for all those cars around you, for the record), but an interesting new survey has unearthed some unexpected results.
For years, we've seen state after state ban texting and driving after being told by insurance company-funded surveys that it significantly increases the risk of a crash. And frankly, it makes sense. Doing anything other than driving while attempting to drive is probably not in the best interest of personal safety. At any rate, the Highway Loss Data Institute recently "compared collisions of 100 insured vehicles per year in four different jurisdictions before and after bans on handheld cell phone use took effect." The study focused on incidents in New York, Washington, D.C., Connecticut and California, and believe or not, they found that "state laws that ban drivers from talking on hand-held cell phones seem to have no effect on crash rates."
According to the study, monthly fluctuations in crash rates "didn't change after bans were enacted," and now investigations are being done to see why the findings clash so significantly with earlier assumptions. One thing's for sure--even if texting and driving is statistically "safe," you'll still get written up with a ticket if you're caught in a state where it's illegal, and we still don't condone it around these parts.
For years, we've seen state after state ban texting and driving after being told by insurance company-funded surveys that it significantly increases the risk of a crash. And frankly, it makes sense. Doing anything other than driving while attempting to drive is probably not in the best interest of personal safety. At any rate, the Highway Loss Data Institute recently "compared collisions of 100 insured vehicles per year in four different jurisdictions before and after bans on handheld cell phone use took effect." The study focused on incidents in New York, Washington, D.C., Connecticut and California, and believe or not, they found that "state laws that ban drivers from talking on hand-held cell phones seem to have no effect on crash rates."
According to the study, monthly fluctuations in crash rates "didn't change after bans were enacted," and now investigations are being done to see why the findings clash so significantly with earlier assumptions. One thing's for sure--even if texting and driving is statistically "safe," you'll still get written up with a ticket if you're caught in a state where it's illegal, and we still don't condone it around these parts.
