WASHINGTON (AP) — A government survey of the U.S. and seven European countries finds that Americans are the worst about talking on their cellphones while driving.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 69 percent of U.S. drivers reported talking on a cellphone while driving within the previous 30 days. European drivers who said they chatted on their phones at the wheel ranged from 21 percent in the United Kingdom to 59 percent in Portugal.
A larger share of U.S. drivers also reported reading or sending text or email messages while driving than drivers in six of the European countries. Only in Portugal did as many drivers report engaging in the distracting habit as the U.S. — both 31 percent.
The study is based on surveys of drivers ages 18 to 64.
