Texting-While-Driving Bans and Motor Vehicle Crash–Related Emergency Department Visits in 16 US States

2007–2014

Bibliographic Data

ID11027092
AuthorsAlva O Ferdinand (0000-0002-5941-8335, At the time of this study, all authors were with the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, College Station.), Ammar Aftab (0000-0001-7403-0892, At the time of this study, all authors were with the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, College Station.), Marvellous A Akinlotan, Marvellous Akinlotan (0000-0002-3919-889X, At the time of this study, all authors were with the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, College Station.)
Year2019
Volume109
Issue5
Pages748-754
Publication date2019-05-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2019.304999
PMID30896993
OpenAlexW2923570773
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited21

Objectives. To examine the impact of state texting bans on motor vehicle crash (MVC)–related emergency department (ED) visits. Methods. We used ED data from 16 US states between 2007 and 2014. We employed a difference-in-difference approach and conditional Poisson regressions to estimate changes in counts of MVC-related ED visits in states with and without texting bans. We also constructed age cohorts to explore whether texting bans have differential impacts by age group. Results. On average, states with a texting ban saw a 4% reduction in MVC-related ED visits (incidence rate ratio = 0.96; 95% confidence interval = 0.96, 0.97). This equates to an average of 1632 traffic-related ED visits prevented per year in states with a ban. Both primary and secondary bans were associated with significant reductions in MVC-related visits to the ED regardless of whether they were on all drivers or young drivers only. Individuals aged 64 years and younger in states with a texting ban saw significantly fewer MVC-related ED visits following its implementation. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that states’ efforts to curb distracted driving through texting bans and decrease its negative consequences are associated with significant decreases in the incidence of ED visits that follow an MVC

Confidence interval · Crash · Emergency department · Environmental health · Incidence (geometry) · Injury prevention · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Poisson regression · Population · Psychiatry · Rate ratio · Suicide prevention · Demography · Human-Automation Interaction and Safety · Medicine · Older Adults Driving Studies · Traffic and Road Safety

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access