A new study found that although New York drivers hung up their cell phones when the state banned them three years ago, they are back to using them at nearly the same rate they were before the ban, the Associated Press reported. In 2001, New York became the first state to prohibit drivers from talking on handheld devices while operating a motor vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the rate of New York drivers chatting on cell phones declined to 1.1% from 2.3% in the first few months after the law was passed. However, by March 2003, a year after the law took full effect, the rate had risen to 2.1%. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz said the state should do more to promote the law, such as putting signs on all highways telling people not to drive while using a handheld cell phone.