The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that more than 26,000 motorists have been fined for using mobile phones while driving in the year following the implementation of harsher penalties.

On 1 March last year, the penalties for using phones during driving doubled from £100 and three penalty points to £200 and six points.

The list of penalised motorists also includes 500 novice drivers who had their licences revoked for using phones while driving.

An additional 1,997 motorists were fined as part of the national crackdown by traffic officers between 22 and 28 January this year.

UK Road Safety Minister Jesse Norman said: “The penalties for holding and using a mobile phone while driving have proven to be a strong deterrent, and more and more people are aware of just how dangerous this is.

“Everyone has a role to play to encourage drivers to put their phone away and not use it while at the wheel.”

“But some motorists are still not only putting their own lives at risk, but the lives of others.

“Everyone has a role to play to encourage drivers to put their phone away and not use it while at the wheel.”

The THINK! Road safety campaign is set to run an advertisement on different platforms showing the chances of getting caught for using mobile phones while driving.

National Lead for Roads Policing chief constable Anthony Bangham said: “In the year since the new legislation was introduced, we have started to see changes in driver behaviour as the public begin to understand the impact that driving whilst using a mobile phone can have.

“However, there are still far too many people underestimating the risk that they take when using their mobile phone at the wheel.”

Following THINK! Campaign in March last year, nine in ten people came to know about the new penalties.