TRL, the UK's independent Transport Research Laboratory, says an increasing number of drivers are ignoring the potential danger and the penalty of using hand-held mobile phones when driving.
Its latest research shows that more drivers are now breaking the law using hand-held mobile phones than two years ago – and that's despite heavier penalties being introduced in early 2007.
2.6% of car drivers were using hand-held mobiles in 2006. That figure fell to 1.4% the following year after the penalty was increased to a £60 fine and three points added to a driving licence. Yet the number of drivers breaking the law is now higher than before, at 2.8%.