Washington, D.C., September 18, 2025 — Drivers who use their phones behind the wheel are 240% more likely to crash, according to a new report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT). The report, A Data-Driven Action Plan for Safer Roads, urges public officials to support and advance predictive analytics to prevent traffic deaths before they happen, marking a fundamental shift in how road safety is approached.

With more than 200,000 deaths on U.S. roads since 2020, the report presents one of the clearest cases yet for moving from reactive safety strategies to proactive ones powered by data and AI. As the report underscores, crashes can be both predicted and prevented with the right resources and data. This action plan emphasizes that these tools – which the insurance industry has proven accurate through decades of refinement – can now be leveraged to make roads safer for everyone.

“This is an action plan to prevent crashes — not just respond to them,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have the tools to save thousands of lives. What we need now is action. The advanced analytics we outline are validated, predictive, and provide a level of foresight that past generations of safety leaders could only imagine. This is a call for government, community, and corporate leaders to work together to help us move boldly into a new era of road safety.” 

Key Insights from the Report:

• Predict and Prevent Crashes: Unlike traditional systems that react to historical trends, new analytics methods using physics and AI-based tools are able to analyze roadway behaviors such as phone handling, speeding, hard braking, and aggressive cornering. This allows officials to assess risk as it emerges, enabling them to spot dangerous conditions before they result in injuries or fatalities. Proactive instead of reactive decision-making marks a fundamental shift in road safety strategy.
• Proven, Validated Models: These analytical sources are built on the same actuarially validated risk models that insurers have used and regulators have approved for decades to predict crash risk. Studies have confirmed that one key method, telematics risk assessment (TRA) is built on procedures that can accurately predict crashes. The method uses key risk metrics to help predict areas for further analysis. For example, drivers with the highest levels of phone distraction are 240% more likely to crash, while high rates of hard braking are associated with 103% higher expected losses, and excessive speeding with a 71% increase in predicted losses.

• Fast, Affordable Safety Wins: Road safety officials are already using predictive risk tools to uncover solvable problems that traditional crash data might miss, such as faded paint, poor signage or obstructed sightlines. These are rapid, data-informed interventions that reduce road risk within days.
• Protects Individual Privacy: Any data source used must be grounded in privacy, safeguarding individuals by aggregating and anonymizing patterns of risk. No personal or trip-level information should be used, and all data collection practices must preserve the rights and privacy of individual drivers.
• Rapid Evaluation of Effectiveness: A significant advantage of modern data analytics is the ability to rapidly evaluate an intervention’s effectiveness. This leads to continuous improvement of safety programs and builds effectiveness based on improvements in risk, allowing for quicker responses and resource allocation for effective interventions.

“We have information that can help save lives now,” added Ryan McMahon, SVP of Strategy for CMT. “By leveraging these proven insights, we can empower public agencies and private partners to intervene earlier, smarter, and more effectively, turning the promise of predictive analytics into the reality of safer roads for everyone.” 

Call to Action:

The report outlines critical policy recommendations to institutionalize analytics-guided safety practices:

• Adopt Predictive Analytics: Federal law and regulations should encourage State Highway Safety Offices, Vision Zero programs and roadway safety partners to integrate validated telematics risk analytics and predictive tools into their core strategy development, using data dashboards to guide timely, targeted interventions.

• Enact and Strengthen Evidence-Based Laws: Legislatures and governors should prioritize passing proven safety laws, such as unambiguous hands-free laws and stronger seat belt laws, coupled with public education campaigns to drive behavioral change.

• Analyze Effectiveness and Adapt: Predictive analytics can be incorporated into Highway Safety Plans (HSPs) by measuring whether new laws, engineering changes, enforcement, or education campaigns are reducing risky behaviors and improving outcomes.

• Maintain Focus on Accuracy and Privacy: State Highway Safety Offices should continue to deliver precise and effective safety strategies by using externally validated, aggregate risk indicators while preserving public trust and protecting personal rights.

By adopting these strategies, states and communities can accelerate the adoption of data-driven, risk-based and proactive safety practices, making a significant safety impact across the country.

About GHSA
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadership and representation for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. Visit ghsa.org for more information or find us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube.

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion®, proactively identifies and reduces driving risk, leading to fewer crashes and injuries, making mobility safer. To date, CMT’s technology has helped prevent over 100,000 crashes worldwide. CMT partners with insurers, automakers, commercial mobility companies, and the public sector to measure risk, detect crashes, provide life-saving assistance, and streamline claims. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, CMT operates globally with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb. Learn more at www.cmt.ai.