Almost one in four drivers were using a phone within a minute before a crash, which could include the moment the collision occurred, according to a study by a technology company that monitors driving habits.

The study released on Monday by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, which makes driving applications for car insurance companies, also found that distracted driving occurred during 52 percent of trips that ended in a crash.

In Chicago, the worst spots for distracted driving were at the drop-off areas at O’Hare and Midway airports; along Solidarity Drive between the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium; Lake Shore Drive and Grand Avenue; and King Drive and the Stevenson Expressway, the study said.

“This is a big problem for drivers and bikes and pedestrians,” said Hari Balakrishnan, chief technology officer for Massachusetts-based Cambridge Mobile. “It’s a fairly dominant factor in determining whether you have a crash.”

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