More than 200 drivers a day were caught using their mobile phones whilst driving during a 4-week crackdown carried out by police.
Almost 6,000 motorists were penalised by the police force in the four weeks after the tougher penalties were brought into place, that is the equivalent to one driver every seven minutes.
Campaigners said the findings suggested many drivers were ignoring repeated warnings regarding the dangers of using mobiles whilst behind the wheel, despite a number of publicity campaigns and the risk of harsher punishments.
Since 1 March, drivers who are caught on their phones while drivers can receive six points on their license and a £200 fine, up from the previous penalties of 3 points and £100. The changes mean new drivers risk losing their license if caught on their phones.
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Calls for efforts to kerb illegal mobiles phone use intensified in the wake of a string of high-profile cases and research indicating that it is widespread.
Figures obtained after Freedom of Information requests show forces recorded 5,977 instances of drivers illegally using their phones in the four weeks starting from 1 March. Seven forces did not provide figures and some cases may not have been logged at the time of the FOI responses were issued, meaning the number of incidents could actually be considerably more.
The Metropolitan police registered the highest number of incidents (2,037), meaning more than 70 drivers a day were caught using a handheld phone on London’s roads.
Second in the charts was the Thames Valley police force with a total of 478m followed by Police Scotland (339), Hampshire police (280) and Cheshire police (224).
Some of the incidents included:
- A lorry driver texting on the M2 in Kent
- A driver on his phone while driving a school minibus with ten children on it in Manchester
- Norfolk police stopped a woman who was responding to a message about her lost dog being found
- A lorry driver was caught using his mobile phone whilst driving around a roundabout
- A man was spotted doing his online banking while driving on the M5 near Birmingham
The RAC Foundation said the increased penalties were a start, but also said the figures for March suggested that the message still isn’t sinking in.
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