Devon & Cornwall Police have handed out more than 1,300 fines to drivers who used their phones on the road–in just two years.

Road traffic injury claim experts Accident Claims Advice investigated mobile phone offences across the country and reviewed data from the force covering April 2023 to February 2025.

A total of 455 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued between April 2024 and February 2025.

Even that figure was significantly lower than in 2023/24, when 848 people were seen using devices at the wheel.

It means that 1,301 drivers came to the police’s attention for being on their phone.

That works out to somewhere in the region of two distracted drivers every day.

A law against making mobile phone calls or sending messages while driving in Great Britain has been in place since 2003.

However, three years ago, the law became stricter, meaning that any use of a handheld device would trigger an offence, resulting in a £200 fine and six penalty points on your licence.

A huge £260,200 worth of FPNs were dished out to Devon or Cornwall drivers in the space of two years.

1,148 offenders paid the FPN. However, 155 people were taken to court, where the fine can rise to a maximum of £1,000, or £2,500 for a lorry or bus driver.

Accident Claims Advice solicitor Michael Higgins said: "The number of mobile phone driving offences is extremely worrying - especially given the potentially devastating consequences of someone not paying full attention when operating a vehicle.

"A road traffic accident caused by someone looking at their phone while driving could turn a person's life upside down in a split second.

“It's important that they know that legal support is available to them if they want to seek compensation for the harm they suffered."