Top Cellphone-While-Driving Roads Identified
Roads with the highest observed cell phone use from commercial drivers in 2018 were located in the Los Angeles port complex, Tennessee's second largest city of Memphis, and Irving, Texas, according to a new study by video telematics and analytics provider Lytx.

The roads with the highest cellphone use among drivers included the Los Angeles port complex (shown), according to a Lytx study.
Photo via Hyfen/Wikimedia.
Roads with the highest observed cell phone use by commercial drivers in 2018 were located in the Los Angeles port complex, Tennessee's second largest city of Memphis, and Irving, Texas, according to a new study by video telematics and analytics provider Lytx.
The study reveals the top 10 stretches of road where Lytx observed the most driver cell phone use. Based on Lytx client data from around the country, the study identifies half square-mile road segments that had the highest volume of observed cell phone use behind the wheel last year. To arrive at its findings, Lytx studied telematics data from public and private fleets in the trucking, waste, transit, government, construction, and field services industries.
The intersection of Compress Drive and South Lauderdale Street in Memphis leads the way followed by Ferry Street and CA-47 at the Los Angeles port complex. TX-482-SPUR W near Century Center Boulevard in Irving ranks third, while a second area of Memphis — East Homes Road and Lamar Avenue — takes fourth place.
Other areas of the country that ranked among the top 10 for containing roads with the highest driver cell phone use include the Port of Los Angles; Edison, N.J; Hutchins, Texas; the Port of Long Beach, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Bloomington, Calif.
The study also identified the top five riskiest half square-mile road stretches of 2018 in each of the five most populated U.S. states — California, Illinois, Florida, New York and Texas.
The majority of concentrated risk fell in high-density areas, including cities, ports, and road stretches with interchanges or on/off ramps, where there are a high volume of merging vehicles and overall activity, note the study authors.
Specifically, the data indicates areas of Long Beach, Calif.; New York City; and Berkeley, Ill. have the riskiest roads of the top five populous states in the nation.
Drivers who use handheld cell phones while driving are around 50% more likely to get into a collision within 90 days than drivers who do not, according to Lytx.
More Safety

Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
Reducing Risk by Eliminating Phone Use Behind the Wheel
Hosted with the cofounder of Lifesaver Mobile, this episode addresses phone use behind the wheel and how to design a driving environment that actually helps prevents accidents.
Read More →