A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that police crash reports substantially undercount driver cellphone use before collisions. Using telematics data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics, researchers found cellphone use in the 30 seconds before impact in 7% of single-vehicle crashes and 8% of two-vehicle crashes. Police reports identified cellphone use in less than 1% of the same crashes.
Researchers linked nearly 17,000 crashes recorded by safe-driving apps with police-reported crashes in four states from 2021 through 2024. The telematics platform could detect hand-held and hands-free calls, physical manipulation of a phone and periods when a phone screen was unlocked. Tapping, swiping and other manipulation appeared hundreds of times in the telematics records but was rarely documented by police.
The findings point to an evidence issue for auto claims adjusters investigating distracted-driving allegations. Police reports remain an important starting point, but the absence of documented cellphone use may not establish that a driver was not using a device. Depending on the claim and available evidence, telematics records, cellphone data, witness statements and other information may provide a more complete account of driver behavior before impact.
The study does not establish that cellphone use caused the crashes or that the drivers using phones were at fault. That distinction matters in liability investigations. Telematics may show activity shortly before impact, but adjusters and investigators still need to consider timing, driver behavior, roadway conditions and other evidence when evaluating causation and comparative negligence.
The research also illustrates how smartphone technology is complicating distracted-driving investigations. Passive use, including unlocked screens that may be displaying navigation, was about as common as active cellphone use during the 30 seconds before impact. Hands-free systems, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto create additional challenges because some activity may not be reflected by an unlocked phone screen.
For claims organizations, the study suggests that digital evidence could become increasingly important when police reports provide limited information about distraction. It also raises questions about how insurers obtain, preserve and interpret telematics evidence when cellphone use becomes material to liability, litigation or subrogation.
