Study: California Cell Phone Restrictions Reduce Deaths

A study from the University of California, Berkeley says a nearly 4-year-old ban on drivers using hand-held cellphones is saving lives.

The study finds that overall traffic deaths dropped 22 percent in that time while deaths blamed on drivers using hand-held cellphones are down 47 percent.

Deaths among drivers who use hands-free phones dropped at a similar rate.

The university’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center examined deaths for two years before and two years after the cellphone ban took effect in July 2008. It found a similar drop in injuries attributed to drivers’ cellphone use.

The California Office of Traffic Safety released the study.

The office says deaths and injuries are declining in part because of an overall decrease in drivers using cellphones.