How Do Texting Bans Impact Driving Safety in Washington D.C.
In Washington D.C., motorists are prohibited from texting and driving. Texting bans have become standard throughout the United States, with the vast majority of locations either entirely prohibiting texting or imposing selective bans in certain situations and for certain drivers. While these laws can sometimes be difficult to enforce, a personal injury lawyer knows that they can make a big difference in improving the safety of the roads.
How Do Texting Bans Work?
CBS News reported on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health that assessed the impacts of texting bans.
The research was conducted at Texas A&M School of Public Health. Researchers looked at the impact of hospitalizations after motor vehicle accidents in states where strict texting bans were instituted between 2003 and 2010. This is a long enough period of time to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the effects of texting bans, whereas most studies on this subject have looked at a more narrow data range.
The research revealed that in states that had put a texting ban into effect, there was a seven percent decline in the rate of post-motor vehicle crash hospitalizations. The researchers could not say 100 percent for sure that this decline occurred as a direct result of the state law that prohibited texting while driving. However, the researchers did try to isolate the issue of texting bans by accounting for other factors that could also lead to a decline in collision injuries such as laws related to DUI, speeding, teen driving, and the use of handheld cell phones.
Further lending support to the fact that texting bans are effective at preventing injuries is the fact that the biggest decline in hospitalization rates happened when a primary enforcement ban was put into place. A primary enforcement law means that it is permissible for a police officer to pull someone over and issue a citation just for texting, even if there were no other traffic law violations that occurred at the same time.
Texting bans actually had more of an impact on reducing the rate of hospitalization for older motorists, compared with younger ones. Adults between the ages of 25 and 40 are actually described by the executive director of the Governors’ Highway Safety Association (GHSA) as the biggest offenders when it comes to texting and driving.
There was a nine percent reduction in crash hospitalization rates among motorists over the age of 22 when texting bans went into effect, while the decline in the hospitalization rate of drivers under the age of 22 was not statistically significant. Earlier studies have shown that all age groups benefit from fewer hospitalizations when texting bans are passed.
The research is good news because it suggests that prohibiting drivers from texting could make an impact. However, ultimately every motorist has the responsibility to obey the law, make smart and safe choices, and not text behind the wheel.
Accident lawyers in Washington, DC can help if you have been injured in an accident. Contact the Mike Slocumb Law Firm at 1-800-HURTLINE.
