I couldn’t find the article when digging around on the internet this morning, but I heard a news story this morning that said traffic accidents have dropped by almost 40% in Santa Barbara County, CA since the hands-free cell phone law went into effect earlier this year. And fatal accidents dropped by 72%!!! Wow, those are some results. I’ll keep digging and post it if I can find it.
Those numbers surprise me. If anything, I expect more accidents right now because people are spending more effort disguising the phone conversations they’re having. I noticed fewer drivers on phones when the law first became effective during the summer. Since then, with no evidence the law is being enforced, drivers are back to their old ways.
I’ve noticed it too Ben, a lot of people have gone back to talking on their regular phone and some don’t even bother to try to hide it! I have seen several women drape their long hair over their phone. While it’s not as obvious, you can still tell what they’re doing if you look at them for any amount of time.