"A new U.S. insurance industry study has found that state laws banning the use of hand-held devices to make calls or send text messages while driving have not resulted in fewer vehicle crashes," reports the CBC. "The study, released Friday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, examined insurance claims from crashes before and after such bans took effect in California, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. The organization found that claims rates did not go down after the laws were enacted. It also found no change in patterns compared with nearby states without such bans."

Adrian Lund, the group's president, said the finding doesn't bode well "for any safety payoff from all the new laws." READ MORE