Jun 9, 2008 10:14 am US/Eastern
Report: Teen Drivers Ignoring Cell Phone Bans
IIHS found many teen drivers ignored laws banning the use of cell phones while driving.
Most believe police enforcement of such laws is rare or nonexistent
WASHINGTON (CBS4) ―
Several states recently put into laws restricting, or banning, the usage of cell phones by teenage drivers. But, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the effectiveness of those laws may not be what the states expected.
The IIHS did a survey of a law passed in North Carolina that fines drivers under 18 caught using a cell phone while driving. Prior to the law taking effect, 11% of teen drivers were observed using cell phones after they left school for the day.
Several months after the ban was made law, 12% of teen drivers were seen using cell phones while driving. Of that total, less than 1% of teen drivers using cell phones were using hands-free units.
Also, most parents and teens said police were typically not looking for drivers on cell phones. 71% of teens and 60% of parents reported that enforcement of the laws were rare or nonexistent.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia restrict both hand-held and hands-free phone use by young drivers. Six states and the District forbid all drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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