Study finds texting while driving laws haven’t reduced crashes; reasons for that not clear

Study finds texting laws haven’t reduced crashes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new study from the insurance industry finds texting while driving laws have had no immediate benefit in reducing crashes.

The study done by a branch of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety looked at crash data from four states with texting bans. It found that in three of the states — California, Louisiana, Minnesota — crashes actually increased.

Institute spokesman Russ Rader says the increase might be the result of drivers moving their phones down, of out public view, while they text and thus looking away from the road longer.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood criticized the report as misleading. He says the bans are important in helping stop deaths from distracted driving, but states must enforce them and people must obey them.