The impact of Illinois’ comprehensive handheld phone ban on talking on handheld and handsfree cellphones while driving

Benedetti, Marco H.; Lü, Bo; Kinnear, Neal; Li, Li; Delgado, M. Kit; Zhu, Motao

doi:10.1101/2022.04.08.22273533

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

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“…Because few states implemented handheld phone bans during the study period, we preferred a cross-sectional analysis of the entire data set rather than a quasi-experimental analysis of a data subset. A quasi-experimental analysis of the impacts of Illinois’ handheld phone ban on self-reported talking on handheld, handsfree, and any cellphones while driving was largely consistent with the present study (Benedetti, et al, 2022). Our second limitation was response bias, which can in any occur study of self-reported behavior.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Talking on handsfree and handheld cellphones while driving in association with handheld phone bans

Benedetti¹,

Kinnear

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Introduction: Concurrent use of a cellphone while driving impairs driving abilities, and studies of policy effectiveness in reducing distracted driving have yielded mixed results. Furthermore, few studies have considered how hands-free phone use associates with handheld phone bans. It is not clear whether hand-held phone bans dissuade some drivers from using the phone while driving completely, or whether it simply promotes a shift to hands-free use. The present study estimates the association between handheld phone policies and self-reported talking on handsfree and handheld cellphones while driving. Methods: Our data consisted of 16,067 respondents to annual administrations of the Traffic Safety Culture Index from 2012-2017. Our primary exposure variable was handheld phone policy, and our primary outcome variables were self-reported talking on any phone, self-reported talking on a handheld phone, and self-reported talking on a hands-free phone while driving. We estimated adjusted prevalence ratios of the outcomes associated with handheld phone bans via modified Poisson regression. Results: Drivers in states with handheld bans were 13% less likely to self-report talking on any type of cellphone (handheld or handsfree) while driving. When broken down by cellphone type, drivers in states with handheld bans were 38% less likely to self-report talking on a handheld phone and 10% more likely to self-report talking on a hands-free phone while driving. Conclusions: Handheld phone bans were associated with more self-reported talking on hands-free phones and less talking on handheld phones, consistent with a substitution hypothesis. Handheld bans were also associated with less talking on any phone while driving, supporting a net safety benefit. Practical Applications: In the absence of a national ban on handheld phone use while driving, our study supports state handheld phone bans to deter distracted driving and improve traffic safety.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Talking on handsfree and handheld cellphones while driving in association with handheld phone bans

Benedetti¹,

Kinnear

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Short-term impacts of all-driver handheld cellphone bans on high-schoolers’ texting while driving: quasi-experimental analyses of Illinois and Georgia

Benedetti

Schwebel

Lü

et al. 2023

Accident Analysis & Prevention

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Texting While Driving: A Literature Review on Driving Simulator Studies

Voinea

Boboc

Buzdugan

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Road safety is increasingly threatened by distracted driving. Studies have shown that there is a significantly increased risk for a driver of being involved in a car crash due to visual distractions (not watching the road), manual distractions (hands are off the wheel for other non-driving activities), and cognitive and acoustic distractions (the driver is not focused on the driving task). Driving simulators (DSs) are powerful tools for identifying drivers’ responses to different distracting factors in a safe manner. This paper aims to systematically review simulator-based studies to investigate what types of distractions are introduced when using the phone for texting while driving (TWD), what hardware and measures are used to analyze distraction, and what the impact of using mobile devices to read and write messages while driving is on driving performance. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A total of 7151 studies were identified in the database search, of which 67 were included in the review, and they were analyzed in order to respond to four research questions. The main findings revealed that TWD distraction has negative effects on driving performance, affecting drivers’ divided attention and concentration, which can lead to potentially life-threatening traffic events. We also provide several recommendations for driving simulators that can ensure high reliability and validity for experiments. This review can serve as a basis for regulators and interested parties to propose restrictions related to using mobile phones in a vehicle and improve road safety.

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The impact of Illinois’ comprehensive handheld phone ban on talking on handheld and handsfree cellphones while driving

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Talking on handsfree and handheld cellphones while driving in association with handheld phone bans

Talking on handsfree and handheld cellphones while driving in association with handheld phone bans

Short-term impacts of all-driver handheld cellphone bans on high-schoolers’ texting while driving: quasi-experimental analyses of Illinois and Georgia

Texting While Driving: A Literature Review on Driving Simulator Studies

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