This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Do texting-while-driving bans work?
Examining the implications of legislation and enforcement on electronic device use while driving
Client
National Academy of SciencesChallenge
Many states, local jurisdictions, and Canadian provinces have laws restricting or banning the use of electronic devices for talking or texting while driving. Because the laws vary among jurisdictions, are they effective in deterring distracted driving and difficult to enforce?
The National Academy of Sciences reached out to Westat to find the answers.
Solution
Westat will examine existing laws and cluster states and Canadian provinces by characteristics of their distracted driving laws and populations.
A sample of 20 locations will receive an in-depth review of their
- Distracted driving laws
- Educational and outreach efforts
- Enforcement strategies
- Legislative challenges and successes
This review will be supplemented by telephone discussions with state and provincial representatives to better understand how their laws were enacted.
We will develop a model and guidance on best practices for developing, educating on, enforcing, and adjudicating legislation.
Results
Presentations and materials developed will identify key factors for crafting and enacting effective legislation.
In addition, different techniques will be identified that can be customized to implement education and enforcement programs that will best resonate with community residents.
Focus Areas
Transportation Transportation SafetyCapabilities
Partnership Engagement Technical Assistance-
Perspective
Westat Work Shines at 2024 APHSA EMWB ConferenceSeptember 2024
Westat human services experts recently presented at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)’s Economic Mobility and Well-Being (EMWB) Conference in Portland, Oregon. At the…
-
Perspective
Westat Tools Help Protect Child PassengersSeptember 2024
Vehicle crashes are a major cause of injuries and fatalities among children, a problem safety advocates in the U.S. acknowledge and work to minimize by…
-
Perspective
International Overdose Awareness Day: August 31, 2024August 2024
Overdose continues to impact the lives of so many around the world. The theme of the 2024 International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, 2024, is…