Talking, dialing, texting or browsing on cell phones isdescribed as the second-leading cause of automobile crashes, but anew study from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows that cellphone use in accidents is severely underreported.

Based on research by the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) that reviewed 180 fatal crashes occurringfrom 2009 to 2011, all of which involved cell phone use prior tothe accident, only half were logged as phone-related.

“The public should be aware that cell phone-involved fatalcrashes are not accurately being reported,” said Bill Windsor,associate vice president of consumer safety at Nationwide. “Thesestatistics influence national prevention priorities, fundingdecisions, media attention, legislation and policy, even vehicleand roadway engineering. There are wide-ranging, negativeramifications to safety if a fatal crash factor is substantiallyunder-reported, as appears to be the case of cell phone use incrashes.”

Evidence that a driver was using a phone during a crash caninclude reporting by the call or text recipient, passengerreporting, police finding an unfinished message in the phone at thecrash scene, or wireless records aligning with the time of thecrash. However, this evidence often evades going into the NHTSA'sFatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

The problem begins at the scene of the crime, says the NSC,where police rely on drivers and witnesses to implicate mobiledevices. Witness statements and memories may be inaccurate;furthermore, drivers may be unwilling to convict themselves ofcareless driving. Police are also more focused on recording obviousviolations, like a car veering off a lane or drug impairment, touse in criminal cases rather than underlying the reason for thefatal symptom.

Next, cell phone records can be difficult to obtain fromwireless companies, and even if it is relinquished, they mustcomply with the moment of the crash to be used in court, even ifthe exact moment is not unknown.

We believe the number of crashes involving cell phone use ismuch greater than what is being reported,” said Janet Froetscher,president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Many factors,from drivers not admitting cell phone use, to a lack of consistencyin crash reports being used to collect data at the scene, make itvery challenging to determine an accurate number.”

There were also questionable disparities among state-by-statereporting, shows the study. In Tennessee, 93 fatal crashes involvedcell phones in 2011, while more densely-populated New York reportedonly one, and while Texas reported 40 instances, nearby Louisianashowed none.

According to the NHTSA, texting while driving is as dangerous asdriving after consuming four beers, and causes 1,600,000 accidentsper year; 30,000 injuries annually; and 11 teen deaths a day.