Max Dorfman, Research Writer, Triple-I
According to recent research by the Insurance Institute for High Safety (IIHS), state restrictions on cellphone use while driving correlate with reduced crash rates. However, the overall results were mixed among the states studied, with different legal language, degree of enforcement, and severity of penalties, providing a possible explanation for the disparate results.
The study found changes in crash rates in California, Oregon and Washington after laws to ban cellphone calls and texting while driving were enacted in 2017, with the research looking at overall numbers from 2015 to 2019. These numbers were compared with the control states of Idaho and Colorado. .
Significantly, the study found:
- a 7.6 percent reduction in monthly rear-end crash rates of all severity compared to rates in control states;
- Law changes in Oregon and Washington were associated with significant declines of 8.8 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively;
- California did not experience changes in rear-end crash rates of all severity or injuries associated with stronger laws.
However, state governments face several obstacles in their efforts to prevent crashes caused by cellphone use.
“Technology is moving faster than law,” said IIHS Senior Research Scientist Ian Regan. “Our findings suggest that other states may benefit from adopting comprehensive laws against cellphone use while driving, but more research is needed to determine the most effective combination of wording and penalties.”
Distracted driving is a major problem
Distracted driving is a significant problem on roads across the country. Indeed, distracted driving increased by more than 30 percent from February 2020 to February 2022, due to changes in driving patterns spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, according to research by telematics service provider Cambridge Mobile Telematics.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reported that more than 3,100 people died in distraction-related crashes in 2020, with an estimated 400,000 people injured each year in such crashes. According to the study, the true numbers are likely to be higher due to under-reporting. The report also found that cell dial, cell text, and cell-browse were among the most prevalent and highest-risk behaviors.
Telematics can help
Telematics, which uses mobile technology to track driver behavior and provide financial incentives to drive less and more often and more cautiously, can help reduce risky driving. The more consumers respond positively to an incentive, the less they pay for their insurance.
Research from Insurance Research Councils—such as Triple-I, a nonprofit affiliate of The Institutes—focuses on this particular issue, studying public perception and the use of telematics. The study found that 45 percent of drivers surveyed said they made significant safety-related changes in the way they drove after participating in a telematics program. Another 35 percent said they made small changes to the way they drive.
During the pandemic, there was an improvement in insurance customers’ comfort with the idea of letting their driving be monitored in exchange for better premiums. In May 2019, mobility data and analytics firm Arity surveyed 875 licensed drivers over the age of 18 on how comfortable they would be with adjusting their premiums based on telematics variables. 30 to 40 percent said they would be very or very comfortable sharing this data. In May 2020, they conducted the survey again with more than 1,000 licensed drivers.
“This time,” Arrity said, “about 50 percent of drivers were comfortable pricing their insurance based on the miles they drive, where they drive and what time of day they drive, as well as distracted driving and speeding.”