Apples for Health- Study: Cell phones = increased fatalities

Study: Cell phones = increased fatalities

NEWARK, N.J., March 5 (UPI) -- Cell phone use has a significant adverse effect on pedestrian and motor vehicle fatalities, U.S. researchers said.

Peter D. Loeb of Rutgers University said cell phones were associated with "a life-taking effect" among pedestrians, drivers and passengers in vehicles, but then became instrumental in saving lives -- before once again resulting in adverse effects.

"In those early days, when there were fewer than a million phones, fatalities increased, because drivers and pedestrians probably were still adjusting to the novelty of using them, and there weren't enough cell phones in use to make a difference in summoning help following an accident," Loeb said.

"Cell-phone users were able to quickly call for medical assistance when involved in an accident and this quick medical response actually reduced the number of traffic deaths for a time," Loeb said in a statement.

However, this life-saving effect was canceled out once the numbers of phones reached a critical mass of about 100 million and the life-taking effect -- increased accidents and fatalities -- outweighed the benefits of quick access to 911 services, Loeb said.

The findings are published in the journal Applied Economics.