Rates of texting and talking on phone while driving rise in the United States

More Americans are using their cell phones while driving, a habit that is responsible for about 1.3 million deaths a year.

A new study has shown that Americans are more into the “using the phone while driving” habit than Europeans. 69 percent of United States drivers have admitted to taking part in the deadly habit within the past 30 days, while 21 percent of United Kingdom citizens have admitted to partaking in the “crime,” reported Medical News Today.

A new bill is being administered that will issue a $30 fine for anyone who texts and drives and a $60 fine for doing it again within the next five years, reports News4Jax.

"I hope they continue their efforts so that they can make it illegal for you to text and drive simply because it'll save lives," Ken Jefferson said, "The math is very simple. If you stop texting while you're driving, that means that you're not being distracted by texting and driving and paying close attention to the road. The likelihood of you getting into an automobile accident as a result of your own fault is greatly minimized."

Experts believe that using hand-free cell phones and talking regularly on the phone while driving is equally distracting.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into how to develop a technology that would ban the cell phone from operating once it is in a moving vehicle.