University of Missouri System

Management Services

Risk and Insurance Management

Risk Management Guidelines

Cell Phone Safety Issues

Several research studies have been conducted to understand the effects of cell phone use on driver safety. Drivers using phones are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Such research has shown that cell phone use affects drivers in the following ways:

• Delays reaction time
• Impairs stopping decisions
• Reduces lane control
• Lessens the amount of time spent examining instruments and mirrors

Hands-free cell phone use is not a good alternative. Research has shown no significant difference between handheld and hands-free cell phone use on driver performance.

Recommendations

1. Don't use a cell phone while driving.

2. If you must make or take a call while driving, pull over to the side of the road and stop your car as soon as possible.

Sources of information

Insurance Information Institute: www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/PDF/nrd-13/BentsF_doc.pdf