An investigation has found that 9.2m motorists are still ignoring the law by using their phone while driving.
While the number of motorists who say they make or receive calls illegally while driving has fallen from 31 per cent in 2016 to 23 per cent in 2017, 15 per cent of these drivers (or 5.3m) said the changed law had made no or very little difference to their bad habits.
Despite this, the report did identify that 58 per cent of drivers said they had never used a handheld phone while driving.
In the survey 89 per cent of drivers said they were aware of the change in the law that came into force earlier this year. Drivers caught on their phone are now hit with a penalty of six points on their licence as well as a £200 fine.
The research was carried out by the RAC, who used data from 1,727 motorists.
It also found that drivers were far more likely to use their phone when stopped in traffic, with 40 per cent admitting to talking on their phone while in stationary traffic, and 39 per cent admitting to checking texts, emails and social media in stopped traffic.
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “It is clear we have a hard core of persistent offenders who believe they can get away with it by continuing to flout the law every day and we fear this may worsen with fewer dedicated roads policing officers.
“More has to be done to educate drivers that any use of a handheld phone at the wheel is both a mental and a physical distraction that could cause a crash and the loss of life.
“Drivers need to take more responsibility when they get behind the steering wheel and think seriously about whether choosing to pick up a handheld mobile phone is really worth the risk.”
