So with all of the noise and strict laws surrounding the use of mobile phones while driving you would expect a ban on the use of hand held devices would reduce accidents right? Recent bans in New York, the District of Columbia and California has revealed the ban has had no effect on accident rates.

It found that month-to-month fluctuations in collision accident claims didn't change before and after cell phone bans took effect. Nor did accident patterns change compared with those in nearby states without cell phone bans.
"The laws aren't reducing crashes, even though we know that such laws have reduced hand-held phone use, and several studies have established that phoning while driving increases crash risk," said Adrian Lund, president of the HLDI.

It might be an idea to consider banning all of the other distractions while driving as well, spedo, GPS, smoking, fighting children in the back seat, music, DVD... And so it goes.