The warning has been echoed by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar TD.
Driver distraction is believed to play a role in 20-30 percent of all road crashes and using such a phone increases the risk of being in a road crash by up to four times.
Minister Varadkar is asking motorists 'not to put your own life and the lives of others at risk just to take a call or answer a text message'. "It's irresponsible and not worth the risk," he says.
RSA research shows 39-49 percent of drivers admit using their phones at least sometimes while driving. There are 97,432 current penalty point notices issued to Irish drivers for holding a mobile phone while driving.
So leave your phone out of sight and on silent mode so it won't distract you while driving. If you need to make a call or answer a text message, pull over to a safe place first.
