Why laws banning cellphone use while driving have no effect

Here’s the article on the study.

I’m not surprised to hear that, and here’s why.

Hypothetically the “safest” way of texting while driving is for the driver to hold the steering wheel with one hand and the phone in the other. The phone should be held relatively high up within the driver’s line of sight, that way the driver can quickly and easily glance back and forth, switching attention as effortlessly as possible.

The texting while driving laws might curb some driving while texting, but might cause drivers who keep texting to hold the phones relatively low (like near their laps) so that the phones are not visible to law enforcement. Obviously this is the least desirable position, because it dramatically increases periods of inattentiveness and the complexity of switching focus between the phone and the roadway.

So the accident rates don’t change. The safety gains from fewer drivers texting are offset by the drivers who are texting in a less safe manner.