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(EMAILWIRE.COM, July 13, 2011 ) Insurance providers say new federal research proves what they have been saying for years—that stricter laws, tougher enforcement and greater public awareness can combat the dangers of distracted driving.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) reported this week that pilot programs using that three-pronged approach drastically reduced the incidence of motorists talking and texting on cell phones in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Conn.
Insurance providers have warned for years that cell phone use behind the wheel—particularly among younger motorists—not only only results in fatalities and injuries, but also causes major property damage. Teenage motorists are among the demographics most likely to drive distracted, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That helps make it all but impossible to find cheap car insurance for young drivers, insurers say.
“The DOT’s efforts to reduce distracted driving behaviors are an important step forward in this fight,” Brian Boyden, executive vice president of State Farm, said in a news release.
The federal research is based on yearlong programs in Syracuse, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn., where NHTSA officials observed cell phone use and carried out surveys at driver licensing offices.
The DOT reported that vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver led to nearly 5,500 fatalities and another half-million injuries in 2009. Nine states have prohibited any cell phone use while driving, and another 34 have prohibited texting while driving.
Federal officials say the pilot programs demonstrated that motorists can learn to put their phones down.
Both texting and talking while driving decreased by more than 30 percent in Syracuse, while there was a nearly 60 percent dip in talking on cell phones in Hartford, where texting while driving fell by nearly 75 percent, according to the study.
Source: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot8211.html
Police in both cities increased enforcement of distracted driving laws during four periods over the course of a year, issuing a total of nearly 20,000 citations.
Officials also launched a media campaign similar to the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
The NHTSA plans to test the programs on a statewide level, but no launch date has been announced.
To read more about this and other car coverage issues, go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/teenagers/cheapest-car-insurance-young-drivers.htm, where you will find informative resource pages and a free-to-use quote-comparison generator.
Online Auto Insurance, LLC
Gregor McGavin
909-784-2476
gregor@onlineautoinsurance.com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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