Studies may have overestimated cellphone crash risk

NEW YORK: Increased risk of having a car crash attributed to cellphone use may have been overestimated in some past studies, a new analysis suggests. So-called "distracted driving" has become a big public health issue in recent years.

The majority of U.S. states now ban texting behind the wheel, while a handful prohibit drivers from using handheld cellphones at all (though many more ban "novice" drivers from doing so).