March 26, 2019—States with bans on texting while driving saw an average 4 percent reduction in emergency department visits after motor vehicle crashes, an equivalent of 1,632 traffic-related emergency department visits per year, reported CNN.
In the United States, 47 out of 50 states currently have laws restricting texting while driving. Of the 16 states researchers looked at in the study, all but one (Arizona) had one of these laws.
The states that chose to implement primary bans, meaning drivers can be pulled over for texting regardless of whether another traffic violation took place, on all drivers saw an 8 percent reduction in crash-related injuries.
Previous studies had not shown a benefit for laws that sanction drivers for texting only after another violation has taken place. These studies, however, have mainly examined whether there is a reduction in the number of deaths, the authors explain. Injuries are a much more likely outcome, they argue, and therefore, they're important to study and consider in public health efforts.
