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Hands on the wheel, eyes on the phone: The effect of smartphone usage fees on road safety

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  • Brands, Devi
  • Klingen, Joris
  • Ostermeijer, Francis

Abstract

We provide novel evidence on the effect of smartphone use on road accidents. We exploit variation in phone usage fees in the Netherlands following a change in European Union (EU) roaming regulations implemented in 2017. The growth rate of mobile data roaming increased substantially after the change, while vehicle kilometres travelled remained stable. This allows us to estimate a difference-in-differences model where non-Dutch drivers from the EU are treated, while Dutch drivers serve as control group. Our results suggest that around 10% of vehicles involved in accidents can be explained by the use of smartphones, and that these accidents mainly happen on urban roads.

Suggested Citation

  • Brands, Devi & Klingen, Joris & Ostermeijer, Francis, 2022. "Hands on the wheel, eyes on the phone: The effect of smartphone usage fees on road safety," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:146:y:2022:i:c:s0014292122000629
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2022.104130
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    1. Tomašković Mladen & Završki Ivica, 2024. "Analysis of the road safety in the EU countries and the impact of PBM on its improvement," Organization, Technology and Management in Construction, Sciendo, vol. 16(1), pages 123-135.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Road safety; Accident risk; Smart phones; Urban roads;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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