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

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

"The public should be aware that cell phone-involved fatal crashes are not accurately being reported," said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of consumer safety at Nationwide. "These statistics influence national prevention priorities, funding decisions, media attention, legislation and policy, even vehicle and roadway engineering. There are wide-ranging, negative ramifications to safety if a fatal crash factor is substantially under-reported, as appears to be the case of cell phone use in crashes."