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New study finds claims steady despite bans     © Thompson’s World Insurance News 2010. No reproduction without written consent.     A new study out of the U.S. suggests there are no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans take effect.     It was released just as Ontario’s ban on cell phone use while driving came into full force.     Police had handed out warnings since last fall. Now, drivers caught chatting, dialling or texting while behind the wheel will be slapped with a fine of up to $500.     The new Highway Loss Data Institute’s research is one of the first to question the effectiveness of such a ban.     It compared insurance claims for crash damage in four U.S. jurisdictions before and after such bans. Researchers found steady claim rates compared with nearby jurisdictions without such 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 Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.     An earlier IIHS study that relies on driver phone records found a four fold increase in the risk of injury crashes.     A similar study in Canada found a four fold increase in the risk of crashes involving property damage.     More in our February 8, 2010 edition        Thompson’s World Insurance News P.O. Box 1027,  Waterloo, Ontario,  Canada  N2J 4S1 Tel: 519-579-2500 Fax: 519-745-7321 mpub@sympatico.ca THOMPSON’S WORLD INSURANCE NEWS , Canada’s only independent weekly for p&c insurance professionals, has been the industry’s most trusted news source since 1988.