One in four phone-use drivers get conviction

Just over one in four drivers brought to court for mobile phone breaches are being convicted, figures show.

Between the start of 2011 and the end of July this year, 26,184 motorists ended up in court after refusing to pay a fixed penalty. But only 7,326 received a conviction.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald supplied the figures to Independent TD Tommy Broughan after he asked how many drivers had failed to pay the mandatory fixed fine for the offence within 56 days and subsequently been brought to court.