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Driving under the (cellular) influence: the link between cell phone use and vehicle crashes

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:04 authored by Saurabh Bhargava, Vikram Pathania
We investigate the causal link between driver cell phone use and crash rates by exploiting a natural experiment induced by the 9 pm price discontinuity that characterizes a majority of recent cellular plans. We first document a 7.2 percent jump in driver call likelihood at the 9 pm threshold. Using a prior period as a comparison, we next document no corresponding change in the relative crash rate. Our estimates imply an upper bound in the crash risk odds ratio of 3.0, which rejects the 4.3 asserted by Redelmeier and Tibshirani (1997). Additional panel analyses of cell phone ownership and cellular bans confirm our result.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy

ISSN

1945-7731

Publisher

American Economic Association

Issue

3

Volume

5

Page range

92-125

Department affiliated with

  • Economics Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-09-10

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