Number of motorists caught using their phone whilst driving in the North East triples in 2023

Over 900 drivers received driving bans or penalty points from Northumbria Police in 2022, a number which has tripled since the pandemic.

Between 2020 and 2021, just over 600 motorists received fixed penalty notices from the force.

Now the police are increasing patrols across the region as part of a national road safety campaign coordinated by Operation Dragoon and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which launches on Sunday.

Sergeant Glen Robson, of Operation Dragoon, said: “It might seem like a small thing, just momentarily picking up your phone to read a quick text or give somebody a call- but we’ve seen so often that these decisions can have devastating consequences.

"Every single year, we investigate dozens of serious or fatal road traffic collisions and a difficult job, informing a family that their loved one has died on our roads. But that pain they feel is exasperated when they learn it’s a result of a mobile phone.”

The campaign will see dedicated patrols across all roads by officers in marked and unmarked vehicles.

"If we see you using your mobile phone, we will take action. You face potentially losing your licence- but what is even worse is that you’ve already rolled the dice with people’s lives.”