Drivers handle their phones more often the faster they speed, not less, according to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study published April 28, 2026. The finding reverses a long-held assumption among crash researchers, and it carries a direct cost for the millions of drivers enrolled in telematics insurance programs that score exactly these behaviors.
An IIHS analysis of nearly 600,000 trips found that phone handling rises 12% for every 5 mph drivers exceed the limit on freeways, with the link strongest on 70 mph roads where distraction kills most often. For anyone using a safe-driving app from Progressive, GEICO, or Allstate, speeding and phone use stack into a worse driving score and a higher renewal premium.
- Phone handling climbed 12% per 5 mph over the limit on freeways, versus 3% on slower roads.
- IIHS researchers analyzed nearly 600,000 trips from July to October 2024 using Cambridge Mobile Telematics data.
- A distracted-driving ticket raises premiums about 28% ($516 a year on average); a single speeding conviction adds 23% to 25%.
- Telematics apps track speed and phone use on the same trip, so speeding while distracted dings your score twice.
What the IIHS Study Found
Safety experts spent years assuming drivers reach for their phones most at low speeds, when traffic feels manageable. IIHS President David Harkey said the new data flips that thinking on its head.
"Until now, safety experts believed drivers used their cellphones most at slower speeds. But data from safe-driving apps show that, in free-flowing traffic, the opposite is true," said David Harkey, IIHS president.
On limited-access roads, meaning freeways where vehicles enter and exit only by ramps, the share of driving time spent handling a phone rose 12% for every 5 mph over the posted limit. On arterials and connector routes, that same 5 mph bump was tied to a smaller 3% rise, partly because traffic lights and intersections force drivers to act every few seconds.
The relationship grew more dangerous as speeds climbed. On 70 mph freeways, each 5 mph over the limit added 9% more phone handling than the same overage on a 55 mph road. Senior research scientist Ian Reagan, who wrote the study with senior statistician Sam Monfort, called that pattern the most worrying part of the data because it concentrates two deadly behaviors where crash forces are highest.
Reagan and Monfort analyzed nearly 600,000 trips taken between July and October 2024 by drivers across the country, excluding Alaska, California, Hawaii, and New York. Cambridge Mobile Telematics supplied the anonymized data from people enrolled in insurer safe-driving apps. The team counted only trips of at least 18 minutes with at least 2 minutes on an interstate, and flagged phone handling whenever a phone's gyroscope detected significant rotation while the screen sat unlocked.
Why Speeding and Phone Use Cost You Twice
The study lands at a moment when carriers already punish both behaviors hard. A texting or distracted-driving citation raises premiums roughly 28% on average, or about $516 more per year, according to CarInsurance.com data, with the penalty lasting three years on most policies. Get caught in an at-fault crash involving distraction and the increase can reach 49%, near $864 a year for full coverage.
Speeding stacks its own surcharge on top. A single speeding conviction lifts full-coverage rates 23% to 25%, roughly $440 to $570 on the typical $1,895 annual policy, and tickets for 30-plus mph over the limit can push the increase to 49%. The penalty varies wildly by carrier, from 19% at State Farm to 64% at GEICO, which is why drivers tracking the fallout from a speeding ticket on their insurance often see very different numbers.
| Violation | Avg Rate Increase | Typical Annual Cost | How Long It Sticks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distracted-driving ticket | +28% | +$516 | 3 years |
| Single speeding ticket | +23% to 25% | +$440 to $570 | 3 to 5 years |
| Speeding 30+ mph over | +49% | ~$900 | 3 to 5 years |
| At-fault distraction crash | +49% | +$864 | 3 years |
Sources: CarInsurance.com and ValuePenguin 2026 rate analyses. Figures reflect national averages for full-coverage policies; actual surcharges vary by state, carrier, and driving history.
How Telematics Apps Actually Score You
The IIHS data came straight from the same sensors that set your rate under usage-based insurance. Telematics programs use a phone app or a plug-in device to log speed, hard braking, rapid acceleration, time of day, and phone handling, then convert that record into a score at renewal. GEICO's DriveEasy captures braking, acceleration, cornering, phone use, and smoothness, while Allstate's Drivewise weighs speeding, hard braking, and late-night trips.
Safe drivers can trim 10% to 30% off their premium through these programs, and Consumer Reports found a median annual saving of $324, with drivers under 25 saving $245 more than the average. The catch is that the discount is not guaranteed. In 2023, only 31% of enrolled drivers saw their premium drop, 24% saw it rise, and 45% saw no change. Progressive reports that roughly 1 in 5 Snapshot users ends up paying more after enrollment.
Here is where the new study stings. Because the app records speeding and phone handling on the same trip, a driver doing 80 in a 65 while glancing at a text logs two penalties at once, not one. The behaviors that researchers found cluster together are the exact pair that telematics algorithms weigh most heavily, so the cheapest way to protect a discount is to put the phone in a mount and stay near the limit.
Distracted Driving Violations Are Surging
The IIHS findings arrive as distracted driving reshapes the entire auto market. The 2026 LexisNexis U.S. Auto Insurance Trends Report, released May 19, found distracted-driving violations up 57% across all age groups compared with 2022, even though total miles driven rose just 2%. Behavior changed, not exposure.
Older drivers drove much of the jump. Violations climbed more than 70% among drivers ages 36 to 45 and 73% among those 66 and up, undercutting the stereotype that phone distraction is a teenage problem. LexisNexis called distracted driving one of the most pervasive and hard-to-detect risks in the market, a trend feeding directly into the premium hikes that have pushed car insurance costs higher for several years running.
What You Should Do Now
The IIHS data points to a simple defensive move for any driver carrying a telematics app or facing a renewal.
Mount the phone before you drive
Telematics sensors flag phone handling by gyroscope rotation, so a dashboard mount and hands-free setup remove the single behavior that costs you both safety and dollars.
Watch your speed on the highway, not just in town
Because phone use rises 12% per 5 mph over on freeways, holding the limit on a 70 mph stretch protects your score more than easing off on a 30 mph street.
Read your driving-score report
Open your insurer's app and check which trips dragged your score down; carriers like GEICO and Allstate break out speeding and distraction events trip by trip.
Shop your rate if a ticket already hit
Surcharges swing from 19% to 64% by carrier, so a driver with a recent violation should compare at least three quotes before accepting a renewal.
Looking Ahead
IIHS argues the data should reshape enforcement, not just premiums. Pairing anti-speeding and anti-distraction campaigns would deliver a bigger payoff than chasing one behavior, the researchers wrote, especially in high-speed zones where officers struggle to catch phone use from the roadside.
That logic strengthens the case for combined speed-and-phone safety cameras, already used in parts of Europe. Reagan noted that safe-driving apps can cut speeding and phone use when they reward it with lower rates, but the enrolled drivers in this study show incentives alone do not erase the habit, leaving room for both tougher enforcement and smarter premium pricing in the years ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Programs like GEICO DriveEasy and Allstate Drivewise use your phone's gyroscope and sensors to detect handling, along with speed, braking, and acceleration. The IIHS study used this same Cambridge Mobile Telematics data to measure phone use across nearly 600,000 trips.
About 28% on average, or roughly $516 more per year, according to CarInsurance.com, though the range runs from 9% to over 50% depending on your state and carrier. The surcharge typically lasts three years.
IIHS researchers say risk-tolerant drivers tend to both speed and use phones, stress raises phone use during rush hour, and lighter traffic on open highways gives drivers a false sense that it is safe to look away. The pattern was strongest on 70 mph freeways.
Often, but not always. Safe drivers save 10% to 30%, with a median of $324 a year per Consumer Reports, yet only 31% of enrolled drivers saw a decrease in 2023 while 24% paid more. Speeding and phone use are the behaviors most likely to erase your discount.
- IIHS - Drivers use their cellphones more when speeding, telematics data show (April 28, 2026)
- IIHS - Predicting cellphone manipulation based on magnitude of speeding (research paper)
- LexisNexis Risk Solutions - 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Trends Report (May 19, 2026)
- CarInsurance.com - How much insurance goes up after a speeding ticket
- ValuePenguin - Car insurance rate increases with a speeding ticket (2026)
- Consumer Reports - Usage-based car insurance pros and cons