23,000 people fined for using mobiles while driving

MORE than 23,000 people have been fined in the first eight months of the year for using their mobile phones while driving, garda figures have revealed.

The figures come following a stark warning from coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty at Dublin’s coroner’s court this week about the dangers of driving while talking on a phone.

Paul Monks, 33, died when his car veered off the road and hit a tree as he was talking to his brother on the phone. Mr Monks, who died on July 19, was not using a hands-free kit for his phone.