Drivers’ Behaviors

There are numerous evidences that suggest that all-driver bans on hand-held phone devices and conversations can have large and long-lasting effects on drivers’ behaviors. In states where these rules have been implemented, there has been a remarkable reduction of drivers who talk on hand-held phones. In areas such as Connecticut, District of Columbia, and New York, the utilization of cellphones has reduced significantly from 24 to 76 percent within the last seven years since implementation (McCartt, Kidd & Teoh, 2014). In all these jurisdictions, the probability that the violators would receive citations is low, and there are no cases of sustained enforcement campaigns (McCartt, Kidd & Teoh, 2014). This is especially true when high-visibility enforcements are introduced, since they increase the rates of compliance with traffic regulations and policies.

After programs of publicized high-intensity enforcement of all-driver cellphones and texting bans are implemented, the rates of observed hand-held phone conversations have reduced in some jurisdictions by as high as 57 percent in Hartford and Connecticut. Therefore, standardizing these laws by making the application of these recommendations across the whole country can help to reduce possible driving accidents by increasing compliance. The states that have implemented these legislations have also recorded that law enforcers are challenged by the prohibitions that apply only to teenage drivers. Usually, secondary enforcement rules that require police to have some other reasons to stop a vehicle before citing the driver for violating the cellphone law, coupled with the challenge of discerning whether a motorist is involved in an illegal act such as texting.

Reduced Crash Outcomes

In jurisdictions where ban on use of cellphones while driving have been implemented, numerous studies indicate a dramatic reduction in road carnages and accidents. In states such as California, Louisiana, and Minnesota, the collision claim rates significantly reduced following implementation of these policies (McCartt, Kidd & Teoh, 2014). As the number of drivers utilizing cell phones while driving increases, the interest in associating cell phone use while driving and road safety, continues to increase (McCartt, Kidd & Teoh, 2014). As more technologies, such as cameras, music, text messaging and internet browsing become an important part of mobile devices, they pose an even greater cause of driver distraction (Nikolaev, Robbins & Jacobson, 2010). Towards the beginning of 2009, more than 200 bills that sought to prohibit or restrict the utilization of cellphones while driving are still pending in almost 42 state assemblies, in spite of disagreements on the dangers pose and the efficacy of enforcements (Nikolaev, Robbins & Jacobson, 2010). There is need to develop a standardized law that discourages the use of cell phones while driving. Banning the use of cell phones while driving, minimizes fatal automobile accident rates. In New York, the number of fatal accidents reduced by 46 percent.

In 2001, New York became the first state to regulate cell phone utilization while driving. While New York prohibits handheld cell phone devices, it still allows drivers to engage in cell phone conversations so long as they utilize hands-free devices (Noder, 2009). New York’s law also includes a provision that allows drivers to utilize their cell phones to call relevant authorities during emergencies (Noder, 2009). States that enact the same legislations have the authority used by New York’s law as a model for their legislation and essentially to incorporate the same exceptions during emergencies. The proposed solution helps to ensure that states that faced problems related to slow implementation of policies can still enact the legislations through a standardized approach that includes all the states nationally (Noder, 2009). This is because although some states successfully passed laws that address cell phone utilization while driving, other states still find it difficult to pass these laws that restrict cell phone use.