Climate change — not increased use of cell phones — might be to blame for an unusual spike in road deaths that hit the United States two years ago, said a study published on Thursday.
The study said people might have used their vehicles more frequently to avoid increasingly bad weather — rising temperatures and heavier rainfall — resulting in an increased number of deaths on the road.
The finding challenges a widespread notion that 2015's hike was the result of increased cell-phone usage by motorists.