Almost 5,000 Irish motorists were caught using their mobile phones behind the wheel in the first two months of 2019, it has been revealed.
Gardai nabbed 4,905 drivers on their phones in January and February of this year, a 24% increase on the same period in 2018 when 3,963 drivers were stopped.
Road safety bosses have slammed the reckless behaviour, with Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the RSA, saying: “Using your mobile phone when driving makes you four times more likely to crash.
"Despite this, rational, intelligent people continue to text, make phone calls and check into their social media accounts.”
She added: “The offence of holding a mobile phone while driving is the second highest reason for a driver to receive penalty points, after speeding, and 81,199 penalty points notices for mobile phone usage were issued in the three-year period up to end of March 2019.
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"Taking a call, sending a text or browsing while driving could kill you or some other innocent road user, putting the phone away won’t. Nothing is that urgent that it cannot wait until you are safely parked up.”
Two people died and 14 were seriously injured over the Easter Bank Holiday period last year.
Gardai are urging motorists to put their phones away when they take to the roads this Bank Holiday weekend.
Assistant Commissioner David Sheahan, Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, An Garda Síochána, said: “Any interaction with a mobile phone while driving is a killer behaviour that affects your ability to drive safely and puts the user and others at risk.
"It’s for this reason that An Garda Síochána continue to target this behaviour and alarmingly we have seen a 24% increase in drivers detected holding a mobile phone in 2019 vs 2018.
"Motorists detected holding a mobile phone risk a fixed charge notice of €60 and three penalty points.
"If you are a fully licensed driver and get 12 penalty points in a three year period you will be disqualified from driving for six months.
"However, if you are a learner permit holder or novice driver and receive seven points in a three year period you will face a six months' disqualification.
"We are calling on all motorists to save lives and keep their hands on the wheel and off the phone while driving.”
