THE risk of accidents while drivers use mobile phones on the move could be higher than previously believed, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. ROSPA, whose call for use of mobile phones while driving to be outlawed has led to widespread concern over safety implications, has reviewed existing evidence on how greatly mobile phones distract drivers.

It found that most studies so far have examined the effects on drivers of automatic vehicles and concluded that, as the majority of British motorists drive manual vehicles which demand a higher degree of concentration, they may be at even more risk.

ROSPA road safety adviser Dave Rogers said: 'We are going to carry out new research with a leading driver behaviour unit at a major university to find out if this is true.'