Washington state officials are turning to traffic-related cell phone data to monitor and potentially improve road safety, with many residents unaware of the new initiative.

Earlier this year, state legislators approved funding to purchase data from mobile applications that track traffic patterns, allowing officials to access information about drivers, such as their speed and cell phone usage while driving. This initiative aims to provide a clearer picture of driving behavior across the state.

“We can see a picture of behavior that we can’t get in any other way,” said Shelly Baldwin, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, in a statement to KING-TV.

According to Baldwin, the data obtained does not contain identifiable information about individual drivers, ensuring privacy remains intact. However, the aggregated data, collected between June 2022 and June 2023, revealed startling findings. Half of the drivers studied were found to be driving at speeds more than 15 miles per hour over the posted limit on roads with a speed limit of 60 mph. Additionally, 25% of those drivers were using their phones while driving.

This figure is a significant increase from previous state estimates, which suggested only 9% of drivers were distracted by their phones.

Baldwin further explained that cell phone usage while driving was twice as prevalent on residential streets compared to highways. “Which is super-dangerous because that’s where all the kids are, and people are walking,” Baldwin said.

During a presentation to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and state agency representatives on Thursday, Baldwin also shared data indicating Washington’s alarming position at the top of a national graph displaying traffic fatality rates across all 50 states.

“When we looked at this, we were alarmed,” Baldwin told KING-TV.

Despite some hope that 2024 could see a reduction in traffic deaths compared to 2023, Baldwin cautioned that it was too early to make definitive conclusions. The state is now exploring new strategies to address rising traffic fatalities and distracted driving, especially in residential areas.

Washington officials hope this data-driven approach will ultimately help reduce the number of lives lost on the state’s roads, though the balance between public safety and privacy will remain a subject of ongoing debate.