Headline : BMJ Specialist Journals Press Release
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[Longer term effects of New York State's law on drivers' handheld cell phone use 2004; 10: 11-15] Legislation to ban people from using cell phones while driving doesn't seem to work in the long term, without a sustained publicity and enforcement campaign. So suggests a study of the effects of a ban in New York State, reported in Injury Prevention.
In the UK, similar regulations were introduced on December 1 last year. Drivers caught talking on a cell phone while at the wheel face an automatic financial penalty of £30 (about US$54), rising to £1000 (about US$ 1800) if convicted in court.
Other US states are considering implementing partial or full bans.
Researchers observed drivers' daytime use of handheld cell phones across four New York and two Connecticut communities. The study was conducted one month before the ban was introduced at the beginning of November 2001, shortly afterwards, and 16 months later. The ban was legal only in New York State.
In all, over 50,000 drivers in New York and over 28,000 drivers in Connecticut were observed.
In Connecticut, drivers' use of handheld phones while driving did not change, but the introduction of the ban halved cellphone use while at the wheel in New York State from 2.3% to 1.1%. But a year later, use in New York had risen again to 2.1%, almost the same as it was before the ban was introduced, despite variations across the four communities studied.
Reverting back to using cell phones was typical of both sexes, those under 60, and car and van drivers alike, the research showed.
The authors attribute the reversion to the lack of continuing publicity and targeted campaigns, after the ban took effect. Once the ban became law, publicity about it fell away, and there seemed to be little evidence of vigorous enforcement, say the authors. But other research in the US indicates that these two factors are essential to maintain compliance.
The number of tickets issued for violating cell phone legislation in New York in 2002 represented just 2% of all traffic offences.
The authors conclude that their research indicates that "compliance with handheld cell phone use bans will be a challenge over the long term for communities and states that enact such laws." They add: "Without substantial and highly publicised enforcement efforts, compliance is likely to be quite low."
Click here to view the full paper:http://press.psprings.co.uk/ip/march/11_ip3731.pdfPlease note this link will remain live for one month only
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