Laws against driving while using cell phones would have little effect on the number of accidents, according to a new analysis of driver statistics by UC Davis economist James Prieger.

In a new study issued by the American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, Prieger found that, while still at increased risk, drivers who use cell phones are less likely to have accidents by as much as 36 percent than previous studies predicted.

The report also found that people who opt for hands-free phones are already more careful drivers than similar drivers who use hand-held phones.

"In our sample the true effect on accidents is apparently too small to be statistically significant," Prieger said. "That is not to say that we think there is no danger at all from using cell phones while driving."

The research also found that although women have fewer accidents than men, they are more likely than men to have accidents while using a cell phone.

The research, which was presented at the annual conference of the Western Economic Association International in July, looked at survey data from more than 7,000 individuals to assess the effect of a ban on using cell phones while driving. Prieger's co-author is Robert Hahn, executive director of the American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies.

Prieger's findings have generated much news interest. The researcher has during the past week found himself talking to media including KCBS in San Francisco, the Sacramento Business Journal, Capital Public Radio, and KCRA Channel 3 in Sacramento.

"The Impact of Driver Cell Phone Use on Accidents" can be found on the center Web site at http://aei-brookings.org/publications/abstract.php?pid=806.