Texting ban has not lowered US accident rate

NEW YORK - A ban on sending mobile phone text messages while driving has not led to a decrease in the number of road crashes in the US.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has shown in a latest research that accident rates rose in three out of four US states after texting bans were put in place.

“Texting bans haven’t reduced crashes at all. In a perverse twist, crashes increased in three of the four states we studied after bans were enacted,” Adrian Lund, president of HLDI, was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

“It’s an indication that texting bans might even increase the risk of texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws,” he said.

Lund said the increased accident rates were due to drivers responding to the ban by moving their phones lower down and out of sight when they send a text message - increasing the risk of a crash because their eyes are diverted further from the road and for a longer time.

In the US, 30 states have banned texting while driving.