SAFETY officials have condemned drivers who persist in using mobile phones.

A snap survey by Calderdale Council’s road safety team found the number of drivers using hand held phones at the wheel has more than doubled since 2006.

In a survey carried out by the Road Safety Service, 12 out of every 100 drivers were witnessed using a hand held mobile phone at the wheel. This is compared with only five out of every hundred in 2006.

The researchers also found men are more likely to use their phones than women, with three times as many men being caught using their phone at the wheel.

The shocking statistics demonstrate that many drivers are not considering the safety of other road users or the law and are putting other people’s lives at risk.

Kate Marsh, deputy road safety officer at Calderdale Council, said: “We want people to think before they call someone, knowing they will be driving at the time.”

“We are also urging drivers to be responsible and switch off their phones while driving and certainly never to answer them until they have pulled over and parked safely.”

Drivers found using their mobile phone at the wheel will face a fixed penalty of £60 fine and 3 points on their licence.

Calderdale Council's Cabinet member for economy and environment, Clr Amanda Byrne, said: “These results come on the back of recent research showing that more car drivers are ignoring basic vehicle maintenance than they were last year.

“We hope this deterioration in driving standards and attitudes amongst some Calderdale drivers is not going to persist. Should it continue we will undoubtedly see an increase in the number of people suffering injury at the hands of careless drivers.”