When It Comes to Talking on Phones While Driving, Americans Are the Worst

Nearly 70 percent of American adult drivers talk on the phone while driving, at least occasionally. This according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released today.

It shows that Americans are far more likely to talk on the phone while driving than some of their European counterparts. The CDC relied on data from 2011 EuroPNStyles and HealthStyles online surveys. Note that the data is self-reported, which may result in under-reporting.

The United States had the highest rate of both texting and talking while driving of any country in the survey. For adults 18-64 in the U.S., 69 percent reported talking on the phone while driving in the past 30 days at least once, and 31 percent reported texting or emailing while driving — tying with Portugal for the highest rate.

The chart below, from the report [PDF], shows the adults 18-64 who reported how often they had talked while driving in the last 30 days.

Courtesy of the report; Click for larger image