Cell Phones Cause 70,000 Crashes a Year on U.S. Roads
Road Safety
As our chart illustrates, cell phone usage behind the wheel causes tens of thousands of accidents every year, needlessly killing hundreds of people. The number of phone-related crashes has increased by 50 percent since 2010, and it is probably no coincidence that the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes surpassed 40,000 for the first time in years in 2016. As Zendrive notes, the official figures published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probably understate the role of cell phones in traffic accidents significantly, as it is hard to figure out whether a phone was used and drivers are unlikely to admit to it when questioned.

Description
This chart shows the number of motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. involving distraction from cell phone use.