In October, lorry driver Tomasz Kroker was jailed for 10 years after killing a woman and three children by ploughing into their stationary car while distracted by his phone on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire.

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, Department for Transport figures show.

RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: "Our research shows that hand-held phone use by drivers has reached epidemic proportions.

"As mobile phone technology has advanced significantly, many people have become addicted to them. However, the use of a hand-held phone when driving represents both a physical and mental distraction and it has been illegal since 2003.

"The Nissan Signal Shield is a good example of a technology that can help drivers be phone smart.

"For those who can't avoid the temptation, this simple but pretty clever tech gives them a valuable mobile-free zone."