Key clinical point: Teenage drivers living in states where police can stop people for texting or handset use saw a reduction in fatal crashes.

Major finding: In states where distracted driving laws involving texting are primarily enforced, drivers aged 16-19 years saw 29% fewer fatal crashes over no-ban states. As a majority of states began to adopt some form of legislation prohibiting texting or all handheld cell phone use, fatal crashes involving 16- to 19-year-old drivers decreased from 30 in 100,000 persons to 19 in 100,000.

Study details: A retrospective study of U.S. fatal crash data from 2007 to 2017 using a national government database that identified 38,215 fatal crashes nationwide involving teen drivers.

Disclosures: Dr. Flaherty and colleagues declared no external funding for their study or financial conflicts of interest.