Bans on texting and driving may be preventing deadly car accidents in the United States, says a new study. Researchers from Texas A&M School of Public Health found that hospitalizations from car crashes dropped 7 percent between 2003 and 20010 in the 45 states with texting bans when compared to states with no restrictions. The research report recently published in the American Journal of Public health could 'not prove' that a texting ban is what caused the critcal injury drop, though they said it was a likely cause. Most states: Most of the US has laws that ban drivers from texting while at the wheel to prevent accidents . Dangerous: Drivers between the ages of 25 and 40 are the most likely group of people to get in an accident related to texting and driving . Arizona, Texas, Montana, Missouri, and Oklahoma are the only five states in America that do not have texting at the wheel bans for all drivers. CBS reports that the study's leader Alva Ferdinand said that while it could not be proven that the lowered rate of hospitalization due to car accidents was caused by texting bans, the restrictions are still linked to a decline in crashes. Ferdinand said that the greatest benefit was seen in states where texting bans are strictly enforced and where an officer can stop a car just on suspicion the driver breaking the law. 'Some states have secondary enforcement,' Ferdinand explained. 'In those states, law enforcement has to catch you doing something else first -- like speeding or running a red light -- and then determine that you were texting.' The study also found that older drivers were more likely to make a texting and driving mistake than a younger driver. 'It's adults, too,' Ferdinand said. 'They're constantly checking emails and text messages.' Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), said that adults between the ages of 25 and 40 were most likely to get in a texting and driving accident. Slow reaction time: Texting at the wheel is dangerous for drivers because it slows down their reaction times . The research group found that texting bans caused a 9 per cent drop in car-crash hospitalizations among Americans aged 22 and older. Even though young people benefited from the texting ban, the drop in hospitalizations was not numerically significant. There is a lack in data on texting and driving but Adkins believes that as more studies show more results in favour of the ban, more states will be likely to implement it. Adkins said that drivers should avoid texting while at the wheel at all costs even if they consider themselves to be good multitaskers. 'It should push those states with weaker laws to strengthen them,' Adkins told CBS. Research shows that texting at the wheel may be dangerous because it slows reactions more than drink or drugs. A study last year found sending a text message delays reaction times by 37 per cent. By comparison, using cannabis slows it by 21 per cent, and drinking to the legal limit by 13 per cent. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nine Americans are killed every day by doing a distracting activity like texting.
Study found that hospitalizations from car crashes dropped 7 percent between 2003 and 20010 in the 45 states with texting bans.
Arizona, Texas, Montana, Missouri, and Oklahoma are the only five states in America that do not have texting at the wheel bans for all drivers.
The study also found that older drivers were more likely to make a texting and driving mistake than a younger driver.