Nearly Two Months After New Hands-Free Law, Distracted Driving Remains Lower in Ohio

The new data shows that the initial gains from the law have continued, averaging a 10% reduction compared to March of this year.

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Retrieved on: 
Saturday, May 27, 2023
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IOT (Internet of Things), State, Local, Consumer Electronics, Public Policy, Technology, Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Public Safety, Other Automotive, Professional Services, Other Transport, Government, Transport, Telecommunications, Automotive, Data Analytics, Mobile, Wireless, Crash, Fatality, SVP, Distracted driving, Education, CMT, Mobile phone
Geotags: 
UNITED STATES, NORTH AMERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, OHIO
Summary
Key Points: 
  • The new data shows that the initial gains from the law have continued, averaging a 10% reduction compared to March of this year.
  • Prior to the law, Ohio drivers spent an average of 1 minute and 39 seconds handling their phones while driving.
  • Since April 4, that figure has dropped to an average of 1 minute and 30 seconds, a 9-second reduction.
  • The continued success of Hands-Free Ohio will depend on education, incentives, enforcement, and technology.”
    CMT’s data shows that the crash rate falls by 1.4% with every 10% reduction in distracted driving.


Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s largest telematics service provider, today announced an updated analysis of the hands-free law enacted in Ohio on April 4, 2023. The new data shows that the initial gains from the law have continued, averaging a 10% reduction compared to March of this year. Prior to the law, Ohio drivers spent an average of 1 minute and 39 seconds handling their phones while driving. Since April 4, that figure has dropped to an average of 1 minute and 30 seconds, a 9-second reduction.

“Hands-free laws save lives,” said Ryan McMahon, SVP of Strategy for CMT. “Public awareness of hands-free laws is critical — the data shows that when drivers are aware of their own driving behavior and the consequences related to it, overall risk goes down. The continued success of Hands-Free Ohio will depend on education, incentives, enforcement, and technology.”

CMT’s data shows that the crash rate falls by 1.4% with every 10% reduction in distracted driving. Since Ohio’s law began on April 4, CMT estimates that it has helped prevent over 1,000 crashes, 2 fatalities, and $24 million in economic damages.* The new analysis includes data through May 25, 2023.

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell®, gathers sensor data from millions of IoT devices — including smartphones, proprietary Tags, connected vehicles, dashcams, and third-party devices — and fuses them with contextual data to create a unified view of vehicle and driver behavior. Companies from personal and commercial auto insurance, automotive, rideshare, smart cities, wireless, financial services, and family safety industries use insights from CMT’s platform to power their risk assessment, safety, claims, and driver improvement programs. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb, CMT serves millions of people through over 95 programs in 25 countries, including 21 of the top 25 US auto insurers. Learn more at CMT.ai.

*Estimates based on the change in crash rate from distracted driving and data from NHTSA’s report The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019: $340 billion in crash damages from 14.2 million crashes in 2019, averaging $23,954 per crash

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