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An estimated 11 million motorists have admitted to making or receiving a phone call whilst driving in the last year, new research has claimed.
According to the RAC, five million drivers have also taken photos or videos while behind the wheel.
The breakdown company said the proportion of people who feel it is acceptable to take a call while on the road has doubled from 7% in 2014 to 14% in 2016, while the percentage of drivers who have admitted to using their phones while driving has increased to 31% compared to 8% two years ago.
Meanwhile, 14% said they have taken photos or videos while driving, with the percentage increasing fastest among younger drivers, with 36% of those aged between 17 and 24 admitting to using a camera on the move.
The RAC claimed that two-fifths of motorists (41%) surveyed ranked the use of phones by other drivers behind the wheel as one of their top four concerns.
Research from the Transport Research Laboratory stated that drivers using a phone have reaction times 30% slower than those who exceed the drink drive limit, while Department for Transport claimed that in 2014 a driver impaired or distracted by a phone was identified as a contributory factor in 21 road deaths and 384 serious accidents in the UK.
"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," said an RAC road safety spokesman. "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."
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