Project Title
Do Texting While Driving Fine Amounts Affect Traffic Fatalities?
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Brooke Conaway
Abstract
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 600,000 distracted driving accidents and approximately 3,000 fatalities in the U.S. annually. To mitigate the effects of distracted driving, 48 states have implemented texting bans. Depending on the state, fines can vary from $20 to $500 for first-time offenders. Using data from the NHTSA, I employed a simple OLS regression to estimate the effect of texting while driving fine amounts on the number of traffic fatalities. I found texting while driving fines have a positive effect on traffic fatalities, but my model suffers from simultaneity. I attempt to address this problem.
Do Texting While Driving Fine Amounts Affect Traffic Fatalities?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 600,000 distracted driving accidents and approximately 3,000 fatalities in the U.S. annually. To mitigate the effects of distracted driving, 48 states have implemented texting bans. Depending on the state, fines can vary from $20 to $500 for first-time offenders. Using data from the NHTSA, I employed a simple OLS regression to estimate the effect of texting while driving fine amounts on the number of traffic fatalities. I found texting while driving fines have a positive effect on traffic fatalities, but my model suffers from simultaneity. I attempt to address this problem.