163 drivers in the Northern Sound region have received penalty points for driving while holding a mobile phone so far this year.
It continues an increase over the past two years. The Road Safety Authority says you are four times more likely to have a crash if you use a mobile phone while driving. It is illegal to hold a mobile while driving, and you get fined and given at least three penalty points if you get caught doing so.
New figures, released by the Department of Transport, reveal the offence remains common. A total of 7,647 people around the country got penalty points for the offence between January and May.
They include 96 drivers in Cavan and 67 in Monaghan, In all of last year, a total of 332 drivers in the Northern Sound region got penalty points for the offence - down from 468 in 2022.
If the rate over the first five months of this year continues, the figure for 2024 will rise on the 2023 figure of 332 drivers detected for holding a mobile while driving,
