'Alarming' 8% of motorists caught using mobile phones while driving last year

As the bank holiday weekend road safety campaign continues, the RSA and An Garda Síochána appealed to drivers to avoid distractions. Stock picture: Alamy

An "alarming" 8% of motorists were detected using mobile phones while driving last year, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has revealed, as gardaí appealed for drivers to avoid distractions going into the bank holiday weekend. 

As gardaí launched their latest road safety campaign — which started on Thursday and continues until 7am next Tuesday — RSA chief executive Sam Waide said its new survey on mobile phone usage "represents a deterioration in behaviour" when compared to the year previously.