Accidents Caused by Cell Phones

The Under-Reporting of Cell Phone Involvement in Fatal Car Crashes National data show cell phones were involved in 350 fatal crashes nationwide in 2011. Both policymakers and the public may not consider it as serious a problem compared to bigger fatality factors that can be more reliably measured, such as impaired driving and not wearing seat belts. If cell phone distraction is an important factor in crash fatalities, why don't we have a complete picture of the crashes that involve drivers using cell phones? And does this lead the public to erroneous beliefs about fatal crash risks? Data Can't Capture the Full Problem The National Safety Of these fatal crashes, Even when drivers admitted Council reviewed 180 the amount coded in FARS* as involving cell phones in 2011: to using cell phones, that figure was only 50%. fatal crashes from 2009 to 2011, where evidence indicated the drivers were using cell phones. 52% This absence of data contributes to an under-reporting of driver cell phone use in crashes and makes this safety threat appear less substantial than it may actually be. *National Safety Council analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Crashes Involving Cell Phones There are three levels of knowledge about cell phone crashes: Known - Driver admitted phone use Chelsey Murphy, 19 years old and 4 months pregnant, was walking across a road with a friend in Naples, Florida, in May 2010. She and her friend were struck by a hit-and-run teen driver, while he was talking on his cell phone. When asked why he kept going, the driver said he thought he had hit a water cooler. After 5 days in a coma, Chelsey was declared brain dead; her friend was seriously injured. The crash report does not mention the driver's cell phone use. Suspected - Driver didn't admit to phone use A driver rear-ends another vehicle stopped at a red light. Crash investigators determined the driver should have had a clear view ahead for 10 seconds. There were no skid marks. Witnesses report seeing the driver swerve back and forth just prior to the crash. It has the hallmarks of driver distraction and a crash involving cell phone use, but lacks proof. Unknown - One car crash, no witnesses, driver deceased A driver in a single vehicle crash hits a tree and the driver is killed. With no passengers and no witnesses, there is no physical evidence as to whether the driver was using a cell phone and no one will ever know. If the driver was looking at a text or email, even wireless records won't capture that. The Number of Cell Phone Crashes: A Hypothetical We don't know exactly how many crashes involve drivers using cell phones, and it may not be possible to know. Crashes known to involve cell phones, evidence available Crashes suspected to involve cell phones Crashes involving cell phones where cell use is unknown Even if 100% of known crashes were captured, data would still be greatly under-reported. Why Don't We Have a Complete Picture? There are challenges to getting the most accurate information regarding fatal car crashes involving cell phones. Drivers aren't forthcoming or are seriously injured or deceased. Witnesses' memories and statements are inaccurate. There's no equivalent to a blood- alcohol test to confirm cell phone use in all crashes where cell phones are involved. It is difficult to obtain cell phone records. Cell Phone-Involved Fatal Crashes, By State While reviewing all crashes coded in FARS with cell phone involvement in 2011, NSC noticed large variances in reporting across states. The numbert of fatal crashes involving cell phones reported by each state in 2011 CT - 0 14 3 DC - 1 22 8. DE - 0 93 MA - 4 12 3 MD - 2 NJ - 4 11 10 RI - 1 38 21 11-15 Tennessee reported the highest number of fatal crashes involving cell phones, at 93. 1-5 16-20 6-10 21+ Numbers of reported fatal crashes 93 involving cell phones (2011) Numbers of total fatal Tennessee California Pennsylvania New York crashes (2011) 874 2,594 1,191 1,092 States with larger numbers of fatal crashes reported far fewer crashes involving cell phones. † Minimum number due to under-reporting. $ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Where is Data Lost in the Process? Data flows from the local level to the national level when it comes to reports of crashes involving cell phones. NSC analysis found that, when cell phone factors are missing from national data, most often it was not included in original police crash reports. Local - Scenes of the Crashes Data gathering begins at the scenes of crashes with drivers, passengers, witnesses and physical evidence. Local - Crash Report (*) SHOULD BE EXPLAINED IN THE NARRATIVE. 1 2 3 MOVEMENT PRECE COLLISION SPECIAL INFORMATION Police officers or trained A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL B CELL PHONE HANDHELD IN USE C CELL PHONE HANDSFREE IN USE D CELL PHONE NOT IN USE E SCHOOL BUS RELATED F 75 FT MOTORTRUCK COMBO G 32 FT TRAILER COMBO A STOPPED B PROCEEDING STRAIC investigators record data either C RAN OFF ROAD D MAKING RIGHT TURN E MAKING LEFT TURN F MAKING U TURN G BACKING H SLOWING / STOPPING I PASSING OTHER VEH J. CHANGING LANES on paper or electronically; reports can differ by municipal and state jurisdiction. State - State Agencies State agencies compile, code, audit and validate data. Paper Ш forms are manually coded into electronic systems, and crash data from multiple source documents are recorded for national uniformity. National - Federal FARS Program Occupants and Nonoccupants Killed and Injured in Traffic Crashes Killed Description Total Occupants Passenger Vehicles 2010 2011 32,999 32,367 -632 -1.9% Crashes involving fatalities are compiled by NHTSA's FARS at 22.273 12,491 9.782 530 4,518 21,253 -1,020 -4.6% Passenger Cars Light Trucks 11,981 -510 -510 -4.1% -5.2% +20% 9,272 more than 50 state sites into one Large Trucks Motorcycles Nonocoupants Pedestrians Pedalcyclists Other/Unknown 635 +105 4.612 standardized national database. +94 +2.1% 4,302 4.432 +130 +3.0% 623 +8.7% 185 198 +13 Beyond the known and suspected crashes, there are an unknown why It's number of crashes where it's not possible to know whether a cell phone Important was involved or not. This is why data cannot capture the full extent of to Know the problem and policymakers should consider the issue is greater than the data shows when making decisions. ATIONAL COUNCIL SOURCES: |Nationwide US CENSUS BUREAU / NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S FATALITY ANALYSIS REPORTING SYSTEM / Insurance NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL** Nationwide, the Nationwide framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. ** The National Safety Council study on Crashes Involving Cell Phones was funded in part by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.