A driver glancing at a phone for only a few seconds can create a serious safety problem, yet that behavior may disappear from the official record after a crash.

New research examining driving data suggests that cellphone use before collisions occurs far more often than police reports indicate.

A Significant Reporting Gap

Researchers examined information from safe-driving applications that collect anonymous driving data. They compared that information with police reports involving crashes recorded in four states between 2021 and 2024. The comparison covered nearly 17,000 crashes.

The researchers found that drivers had used their phones during the 30 seconds before impact in 7% of single-vehicle crashes and 8% of two-vehicle crashes recorded in the telematics data. Police reports, however, identified cellphone use in less than 1% of those crashes. That difference suggests that official crash records may capture only a small portion of phone-related activity taking place shortly before a collision.

Handling the Phone Was Common

One of the clearest patterns involved drivers physically interacting with their phones. This included actions such as tapping, swiping or otherwise manipulating the device. In the two-vehicle crashes examined, the telematics data recorded hundreds of instances of phone manipulation during the 30 seconds before impact.

Calls were less common than physical interaction with the device. Both hand-held and hands-free calls appeared in the data, but their numbers were considerably lower than the number of drivers who were actively handling their phones. The results suggest that modern cellphone distraction is not limited to traditional activities such as making a call. Drivers may also be interacting with apps, messages or other features in ways that are difficult to establish after a crash.

Screen Use Without Touching

The research also considered what was described as passive phone use. In this analysis, that meant the phone screen was unlocked while the driver was not physically touching the device. Navigation may account for some of this activity, although the available data could not determine exactly which application was being used. The technology also could not establish whether a driver was actually looking at the screen during every instance of an unlocked device.

Even so, the researchers found that passive activity was about as common as active phone use during the 30 seconds leading up to a crash. That finding is important because distraction does not always involve holding a phone.

Why Police Reports Can Miss It

There are practical reasons why cellphone activity can be difficult to identify after a collision. Officers arriving at a crash may not have a clear view of what the driver was doing immediately before impact. Drivers may also be unable or unwilling to provide complete information about their phone use. In addition, police reports generally depend on observations and information available after the incident, while telematics systems can record digital activity much closer to the actual moment of impact.

The study found another important difference: even when police reports and telematics information both indicated cellphone use, they rarely identified the same type of activity. Among nearly 17,000 linked crashes, the two sources agreed on the specific activity only three times. That mismatch illustrates how difficult it can be to reconstruct phone-related distraction after a crash.

Modern Phones Create New Distractions

Smartphones have expanded the range of activities available behind the wheel. Calling and messaging remain concerns, but drivers can now interact with navigation tools, entertainment, social platforms and many other applications. Some of these activities may not fit neatly into traditional categories used in crash reports.

The research also highlights why simply focusing on one behavior, such as texting, may not provide a complete picture. Any activity that draws attention away from driving can create an additional risk, particularly when it requires the driver's eyes to leave the road.

Better Data Could Improve Understanding

Telematics information offers researchers another way to examine driver behavior. Unlike a traditional crash report, which is created after an incident, digital driving data can provide information about what happened shortly before impact. However, the technology also has limitations.

For drivers, the findings reinforce a simple point: keeping attention on the road is safer than trying to manage a phone while driving. As smartphones become increasingly integrated into everyday life, accurately measuring their role behind the wheel will remain an important part of improving road safety.