(September 20, 2010) Traffic deaths tied to driving while distracted by activities such as talking on a mobile phone or eating fell 6 percent last year from the previous 12 months, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today.

But researchers think the official statistics underestimate the number of crashes caused by distracted driving, LaHood said in the statement. Police reports in many states don't document inattention as a cause, he said. Drivers can lose focus by using devices such as mobile phones and portable computers, or such activities as eating, talking and personal grooming.

Crashes linked to drivers being distracted behind the wheel caused 5,474 deaths last year, down from 5,838 a year earlier and accounting for 16 percent of all road fatalities in 2009, unchanged from the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“These numbers show that distracted driving remains an epidemic in America, and they are just the tip of the iceberg,” LaHood said today in an e-mailed statement.

Sources: Bloomberg, press reports