The RAC quizzed 1,714 UK motorists for its annual Report on Motoring. It found that the number of people who admitted to using their phones in their hands while driving was on the rise. In 2014, just 8% of people said they did it, but in this year's report, the number was up to a whopping 31%.

In addition, the number of people using their smartphones for Facebook, Twitter and other similar services has also risen from 7% back in 2014, to 19% now. Some survey respondents even admitted to using their phone cameras to take photos of videos while on the road. Now that isdangerous.

Pete Williams, the RAC's road safety spokesman agrees: "There is clear evidence that the illegal use of handheld phones by drivers to talk, text, tweet, post, browse and even video call is, if anything, on the increase.

"It is alarming to see that some drivers have clearly relaxed their attitudes to the risks associated with this behaviour but more worrying is the increase in the percentage of motorists who actually admit to using a handheld device when driving."

The RAC suggests that one of the reasons that more people are using their phones while driving is that there are fewer policeman around. In other words, the perpetrators simply don't believe that they'll be caught.

Williams says: "The fact that drivers have little or no confidence that they will be caught when breaking these laws is a likely contributor to the problem and it is sadly the case that every day most road users see other drivers brazenly using their handheld phones when in control of a vehicle - a sight which should be a thing of the past.

"The use of handheld mobile phones is the biggest road safety concern among motorists today."

Source: The Guardian

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