Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40272332›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine2025

Teen Texting While Driving in Association With All-Driver and Young-Driver Cellphone Laws.

Motao Zhu, Marco H Benedetti, Yuhan Pan, Bo Lu, Jingzhen Yang, Gary Smith

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Motao ZhuThe Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Electronic address: Motao.Zhu@NationwideChildrens.org.
Marco H BenedettiThe Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
Yuhan PanThe Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
Bo LuDivision of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Jingzhen YangThe Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Gary SmithThe Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Funding

Randomized trial on mobile technology to reduce young drivers’ cellphone useR01HD102439 · NICHD · RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP · PI ZHU, MOTAO · 2021 to 2025
$2.9M
Do Cell Phone Laws Reducing Calling, Texting, and Crashes Among Young DriversR01HD074594 · NICHD · WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY · PI ZHU, MOTAO · 2013 to 2021
$2.0M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD074594NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD102439
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCellphone-related driver distraction claimed 402 lives, over 26,000 injuries, and $10 billion in economic costs including medical costs in 2022 in the United States. Young drivers exhibit a disproportionately higher prevalence of cellphone use while driving and are over-represented in traffic injuries. We assessed the impact of all-driver and young-driver cellphone laws on teen drivers' texting behaviors.

methodsParticipants were 110,193 high school students from the 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 state Youth Risk Behavior Survey across 42 states. We utilized survey-weighted modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors to estimate the associations.

resultsApproximately 54% of high school student drivers reported texting while driving monthly. The presence of both an all-driver texting law and a young-driver cellphone law was not associated with less texting while driving, compared to states without such laws. However, an all-driver comprehensive handheld ban, without a young-driver cellphone law, was associated with a 26% lower prevalence of texting while driving (adjusted prevalence ratio: 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.68-0.80) compared to states with an all-driver texting law and a young-driver cellphone law. In contrast, a young-driver cellphone law without an all-driver cellphone law was not associated with less texting (adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 0.98-1.11). DISCUSSION: Young-driver cellphone laws showed limited effectiveness in reducing texting while driving, while all-driver handheld cellphone bans were effective. Our findings underscore the safety benefits of implementing all-driver handheld bans in the 22 states that have yet to enact such legislation.

Indexed as

Adolescent BehaviorAutomobile DrivingCell PhoneCell Phone UseDistracted DrivingText MessagingAdolescentFemaleHumansMaleRisk-TakingSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited StatesAdolescentAutomobile drivingCell phone useDistracted drivingPolicyText messaging

Identifiers

PMID40272332
PMCPMC13221181

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.