Driving to Distraction — U.S. Beats the Europeans, Mostly

By Joe Elia

U.S. drivers are more distracted than Europeans for the most part, according to an MMWR article.

In 2011, market research firms surveyed drivers here and in seven European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the U.K. Drivers were asked whether, during the previous 30 days, they had talked on their cell phones, texted, or e-mailed while driving.

Nearly 70% of U.S. respondents said they had talked on their cell phones, compared with only about 20% of U.K. drivers. In the text/e-mail category, the U.S., Belgium, and Portugal all hovered at the 30% mark, while Spanish and British drivers generally kept their eyes on the road (about 15%).

One clinician, whose essay we summarized a few years ago, tells her patients that "driving while distracted is roughly equivalent to driving drunk."