SD Beefs Up Cell-Phone Driving Law; Research on Bans is Mixed
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PIERRE, S.D. - As of this week, South Dakota is now enforcing its new distracted-driving law. Despite tougher measures across the U.S, researchers say there's still a lot they don't know about reducing cell-phone use behind the wheel.
South Dakota's new law focuses on texting while driving. It's now a primary traffic violation, which means you can be pulled over.
Ian Reagan, senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says most states have a distracted-driving law focusing on cell-phone use - but researchers haven't yet been able to clearly define how effective these laws are.
"It's really hard to really understand what the true nature of the problem is," says Reagan. "Because the phenomenon of distracted driving is - it's hard to study."
He says unlike DUI cases, law enforcement doesn't always have the legal tools to investigate cell-phone records, which some analysts say can be incomplete, even if they are obtained. So, Reagan believes crash data is under-reported.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported more than 2,800 distracted-driving fatalities in 2018. Only 385 were linked to cell-phone use.
In contrast to the unreliable crash data, Reagan says some research indicates these laws have been effective in changing drivers' behavior. He says overall data might become more conclusive as states adopt clear and consistent language in these laws.
"Rather than trying to ban specific behaviors, like saying you can't text with a phone," says Reagan, "we're starting to see laws that flat-out say you can't hold the phone."
Under South Dakota's new law, drivers who talk on the phone can either hold the device up to their ear, or use a hands-free mode.
Montana is the only U.S. state with no distracted-driving law on the books that deals with cell-phones. Missouri has a texting ban for drivers under 21, but no other phone-use restrictions.
