One in six drivers are still using mobiles on roads

ONE in six motorists admits to illegally using a mobile phone while driving despite tougher punishments being introduced last month, a study has found.

Penalties and fines for illegal phone use doubled to six points and £200 respectively on March 1.

But a poll of 1,500 UK drivers commissioned by Co-op Insurance found 16 per cent admit to using a hand-held mobile behind the wheel during the past month.

Around a fifth (18per cent) of offenders said they were responding to work emails, while 23 per cent were checking Facebook.

James Hillon, head of products at Co-op Insurance, said: We’ve welcomed the penalty change as we believe anything that may lead to safer roads and thus communities in the UK can only be a good thing.

“However, it’s still concerning that since the law change on March 1, a sixth of drivers have used their phones whiledriving.

“Using a mobile while driving can seriously impact a motorist’s ability to drive safely, so we would strongly advise drivers to lock their phones away in glove compartments when driving.”

Twenty-two people were killed and 99 seriously injured in accidents on Britain’s roads in 2015 where a motorist using a mobile was a contributory factor, figures show.

Mike Bristow, spokesman for road safety charity Brake, said: “We have seen first-hand the devastation caused by people who kill and seriously injure because they couldn’t wait a few more moments to make a call or respond to a text.

“For that reason, we would urge all drivers to ignore their phones when driving.”