“These results are a bit of a reality check. ‘No holding’ laws are a positive step, but it will take more than better-worded legislation alone to combat cellphone distraction,” said IIHS President David Harkey.

Telematics data compiled anonymously (note the anonymous claim, Data Gathering and Privacy remain problematic – AutoCrat) from insurance companies’ safe-driving apps showed that Arizona drivers spent 26% less time on handheld calls after the ban went into effect than before, However, the new law had little impact on cellphone manipulation — a collective term that covers scrolling, swiping, typing and any other action that requires holding the device.

“The fact that drivers continued to type and scroll in the wake of a law that made it illegal even to hold the device shows how hard it’s going to be to stop this behavior,” said Ian Reagan, senior research scientist at IIHS, the lead author of the study. “Sustained, high-visibility enforcement efforts are likely needed to make drivers take the new law seriously.”

Cellphones and Crash risk

“There are no reliable estimates of the number of crashes caused by distracted drivers. But the evidence is strong that looking away from the road to focus on something other than driving increases crash risk. The more demanding the secondary task and the longer the driver’s eyes are away from the road, the greater the danger becomes.

“While that’s true of any secondary activity, cellphones are the most common culprit. A national two-year study of 3,100 drivers found that they used their cellphones more than 6 times as often as they reached for other objects.

“Early bans targeted narrow behaviors like handheld conversations or texting, but jurisdictions are increasingly adopting comprehensive bans on holding an electronic device while driving. An earlier IIHS study showed these stronger laws were associated with rear-end crash reductions in Oregon and Washington, though not in California,” IIHS said.