free proxy list Do Hands-Free Devices Reduce Accidents? The Verdict Is Still Out
Research on hands-free versus hand-held cell phone use while driving is contradictory, but findings indicate that it could be more dangerous than drinking and driving. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, call a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer today at 619.677.1641 for a free consultation.
In a nation resistant to mountingevidence that gabbing on cell phones while driving is deadly, bans on hand-heldcell phones are often introduced as stop-gap measures. Such was the case inCalifornia, where a hands-free law took effect on July 1, 2008.
But hands-free laws may be illusory,with a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's HighwayLoss Data Institute (HLDI) concluding that the California law had no measurableimpact on crash incidence in that state.
HLDI compared the number of monthlycollision claims per 100 insured vehicle years for vehicles up to 3 years old,over a several-month span capturing the time just before and just after passageof the California hands-free law. HLDI used the same methodology to weigh theeffect of similar laws in New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.
The study did not directly evaluatethe impact of cell phone use because the insurance reports did not indicatewhether or not drivers engaged in phone conversation during the crash. InsteadHLDI relied upon other studies concluding that driver use of cell phonesdecreases substantially after hand-held laws take effect.
A recent study by the University ofIllinois focusing on New York's hands-free cell phone law reached the oppositeconclusion, observing reductions in fatalities in 46 of 62 counties studied, 10at a statistically significant level. Differences in study methodology mayaccount for the two studies' opposing conclusions. The Illinois study reliedupon public data rather than insurance industry data.
Assuming that the HLDI study resultsstand the test of time, they may highlight an inherent flaw in hands-free laws.Earlier studies have shown there is no appreciable difference between hand-heldand hands-free phones when it comes to crash rates. Those studies concludedthat the use of a cell phone while drivingwhether hands-free or hand-heldiseven more dangerous than drinking and driving.
The primary reason, researchersposit, is that the human brain is incapable of attending to a conversation andthe road simultaneously. While in-vehicle conversation may distract the driver,it may not be as likely to cause carcrashes due to its countervailing quality of providing a second setof eyes on the road.
