The number of motorists illegally using mobile phones while at the wheel is rising, an RAC survey suggests.
It says 31% of motorists said they used a handheld phone behind the wheel compared with 8% in 2014. The number of drivers who said they sent a message or posted on social media rose from 7% to 19%, while 14% said they had taken a photograph or video while driving.
The RAC’s annual Report on Motoring surveyed 1,714 UK motorists.
The breakdown organisation said the use of handheld mobiles was “the biggest road safety concern among motorists today”. 

It believes a 27% drop in full-time dedicated roads policing officers in England and Wales – excluding London – between 2010 and 2015 means drivers do not fear they will be caught for offences not detected by automatic cameras.
It is illegal to drive a car or ride a motorcycle using a handheld phone. Drivers can get an automatic fixed penalty notice, three penalty points and £100 fine. The case could also be taken to court, where the maximum fine is £1,000 and licence disqualification. 

Department for Transport figures show that a driver impaired or distracted by their phone was a contributory factor in 492 accidents in Britain in 2014 – 21 of which were fatal and 84 classed as serious. 

The survey also found: 

*   7% of those who admitted using a mobile while driving said they did it because they knew they would get away with it

*   23% claimed it was an emergency, 21% said they needed information for their journey and 12% said it was a habit 
The government is due to publish the results of a consultation which proposes introducing tougher punishments for illegal mobile use by drivers.
The minimum fine for non-HGV drivers is expected to rise from £100 to £150, while penalty points are set to increase from three to four. 
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling told the Commons he would shortly be announcing “tough plans” to tackle the use of mobiles by drivers. “This requires, in my view, strong action. This is happening far too often,” he said.
RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: “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 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.”