The number of deaths on the roads has risen alarmingly this year – with experts warning that the use of smartphones could be to blame.

There were 380 road deaths in the first three months of 2014 – 13 per cent more than in the January to March period last year.

But when the number killed is added the number seriously injured – to create the official Whitehall casualty measure – there were 5,500 incidents in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 17 per cent.

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Experts fear the rising number of deaths on UK roads could be down to mobile phone use and texting while driving. New figures reveal there were 380 road deaths in the first quarter of 2014 (file picture, posed by model)

The casualty figures are higher among so-called ‘vulnerable’ road users on two wheels or on foot. Motoring groups said there were ‘questions to be answered’.

Experts were last night asking whether issues such as mobile phone use and texting by drivers and pedestrians failing to look where they are going were contributory factors.

They also said there were signs of increasing conflicts between cyclists and motorists sharing congested road space.

The latest official estimates for January to March 2014 show that the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured rose by 16 per cent to 1,460.

Cyclist fatalities and serious injuries increased 27 per cent to 690, while the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured rose by 20 per cent to 950.

The figure for car occupants rose by 15 per cent to 2,160, while among children under 16 there was a 17 per cent to 500.

The number of child pedestrians killed or seriously injured rose by 9 per cent to 350.

Whitehall experts said the big rise could partly be explained by the severe weather at the start of 2013 which kept many vehicles, and pedestrians, off the roads.

Motoring groups also said there were signs of increasing conflicts between cyclists and motorists sharing congested road space (file picture)

March 2013 was the coldest March for 50 years which was reflected in the ‘comparatively low’ road casualty figures – including 336 deaths for the first three months of last year.

They argued that a more meaningful comparison is the fatality figure for the first three months of 2012 which, at 414, is higher than the estimated figure for the same period this year.

Also, the fatality figure for the first three months of 2011 was as high as 445.

RAC technical director David Bizley said the weather had an impact, but added: ‘Mobile phone use has been a problem for some time and there’s not been enough action to tackle it. Using a hand-held phone or texting while driving must be made socially unacceptable.’

The AA’s Paul Watters said this year’s figures were ‘very disappointing’, adding: ‘We hope this is no more than a temporary blip to the long-term progress the UK is making in reducing road deaths and injuries.’