Surprise, surprise, teens aren't paying any attention to laws barring them from using cellphones while driving. According to a survey released Monday, in fact, cellphone usage actually went up slightly after North Carolina enacted such a law in 2006. In the months leading up to the ban, researchers observed eleven percent of teen drivers using their cellphones as they left school. Five months later, the number was almost twelve percent.

"Cellphone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," says Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety who conducted the survey. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see hands-free devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."

There needs to be a better way to enforce these bans or else they really don't do much good. I'm not sure what the answer is. We've got a similar law taking effect next month and I suspect kids will ignore it and keep on talking and texting while they drive.