A CAMPAIGN to crack down on people using their mobile phones whilst driving is being backed by Wiltshire Police.

It comes as figures from the RAC show that the number of motorists who illegally use mobile phones while at the wheel is rising.

Of 1,714 motorists surveyed 31% said they used a handheld phone behind the wheel. That compares 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.

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, including 21 that were fatal and 84 classed as serious.

Roads Policing Inspector Frazer Davey said: “I am often asked ‘what is legal?’ or ‘can I use hands-free safely?’.

“The best advice I can offer, is the advice I have given to my 17-year old son, who is learning to drive; Driving is difficult enough without adding in other distractions.

"When you’re behind the wheel, forget about who may be texting you, or what your friends may be putting on Facebook.

"Focus all of your concentration and attention on your driving to keep you safe, your friends and family safe and other people on the road safe.”

Four members of a family were killed instantly and one person seriously injured after a lorry, driven by Tomasz Kroker, ploughed into a queue of cars on the A34 in August. He admitted he had been changing music on his phone at the time of the crash and was jailed for ten years earlier this month.

Thames Valley Police have since released the footage which shows the moments in the lead up to the smash, as Kroker is distracted while changing the music on his mobile phone.

Patrol and unmarked cars will be used in Swindon and Wiltshire as part of the campaign, which police hope will help create a negative stigma towards driving while using a mobile phone similar to that for drink/drug drivers.

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, said: “The nation was appalled by the deaths of a mother and her young children caused by a lorry driver taking his eyes off the road to select some music on his phone.

“That terrible tragedy should drive home a simple message to motorists: don’t risk it. It just takes a split second of distraction to put the lives of other road users at risk – and quite possibly yours too.

“When we are tempted to check an incoming tweet, email or text message we should remember the shocked look on the face of that HGV driver as he looked up and realised too late that the traffic ahead had stopped and he was about to plough into it.

“Stronger penalties are needed to deter people behind the wheel from being distracted. But I think we need a change in culture so that we regard a driver who takes their eyes off the road to fiddle with a mobile with the same contempt that we nowadays reserve for drunken drivers who get behind the wheel.

“I commend the Tri Force team for the action they take to spot and flag down drivers who think it is okay to use a hand-held phone whilst in charge of a vehicle.”

The Government has said that drivers caught using handheld mobile phones are likely to face much tougher penalties in the future.

New rules, expected to come in in 2017, will see fines and points doubling.

Assistant Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “The focus of this incredibly important campaign is to try to raise awareness about the very real dangers of using a mobile phone when driving.

“A recent court case in a neighbouring force has highlighted the devastating impact that this reckless behaviour can have on other road users.

“We need to change people’s attitudes to this subject. Using your phone while driving, whether that be making calls, looking at messages or glancing down to scroll through your music, drastically impairs your ability to concentrate on the road ahead.

“The only way we are going to make our roads safer is by educating the general public so we make these kinds of actions socially unacceptable.

“We find ourselves in a similar situation to officers trying to educate road users about the dangers of drink driving more than 30 years ago. We need society as a whole to take a strong stance on this behaviour – only then can we reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.”

Police across the South West will be carrying out a series of proactive operations to catch those using their phones behind the wheel being led by the head of roads policing in the region, Gloucestershire Assistant Chief Constable Jon Stratford.

“This week, officers will be out and about across the region, stopping people who are using their mobiles whilst driving," he said.

"We will be explaining to them the dangers of this and prosecuting where appropriate.”