Cell Phones and Driving: A Research Update

Majority of Americans Wrongly Believe Hand-Free Cell Phones are Safer than Hand-Held Devices - Research Shows Both Equally a Risk to Driver Safety

Two-thirds of Americans who use cell phones while driving believe it is safer to talk on a hands-free cell phone than on a hand-held device according to a AAA Foundation study released in December 2008. However, scientific research shows that is simply not the case. As the number of cell phone subscribers and proportion of drivers using cell phones continues to increase, studies that have analyzed the cell phone records of crash-involved drivers have reported that using a cell phone while driving makes you four times as likely to be involved in a crash.

Two recent AAA Foundation surveys of the motoring public have found:

Over half of U.S. drivers admit to using a cell phone while driving.

• In one survey, 53% of drivers reported having used a cell phone while driving at least occasionally in the month before they were interviewed; in the other survey, 61% said the same.
• In both surveys, one in six even admitted that they do this regularly.
• Of those who admitted using their cell phone while driving, 60% used a handheld device and 34% used a hands-free phone.

One in seven even admitted text messaging while driving in the past 30 days.

• Young drivers were overwhelmingly more likely than older drivers to text message, and somewhat more likely to talk on cell phones while driving. For example, nearly half of drivers ages 18 to 24 admitted texting while driving at least occasionally, as compared to less than five percent of those ages 45 and older.

Do as I say, not as I do: Despite survey respondents’ belief that drivers using cell phones are a serious traffic safety problem, a large portion admit they at least occasionally talk on a cell phone while driving.

While cell phone laws vary from state to state, no state has completely banned all cell phone use by drivers. Handheld cell phone use by drivers is illegal in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia. Some states ban all cell phone while driving for particular groups of drivers like teens (18 states and D.C.) or school bus drivers, except in emergency situations (17 states and D.C.). Laws that specifically ban text messaging while driving exist in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington state.

State legislatures and local governments continue to push for more laws to stem this behavior. Hand-held banning bills were considered in 30 states in 2008. Localities with handheld phone bans include: Chicago, Ill.; Brookline, Mass.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Detroit, Mich.; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, Ohio; and Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, Pa. No state or locality has banned all cell phone use for drivers, although bills were considered in six state legislatures in 2008. Legislation that would ban text messaging while driving was considered in 26 states in 2008, with cities including Phoenix, Ariz., Chicago, Ill., and Detroit, Mich. having passed local ordinances outlawing the activity.

This AAA Foundation study examined the responses from two national surveys which asked respondents on attitudes and behaviors towards using a cell phone while driving. As of December 2007 there were 255 million wireless subscribers in the U.S., or 84% of the population making the issue of talking on a cell phone while driving a growing problem. In both surveys more than half of all drivers admitted to talking on a cell phone while driving in the past 30 days. Also, the surveys found younger drivers to be more likely to talk while driving with two out of three drivers between ages 18 and 34 admitting to using a cell phone while driving compared with just over 50% for driver age 45 to 54 and 32% for age 55 and older. Use of a cell phone is found to quadruple the risk of being involved in a crash.

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