THE number of drivers prosecuted for using their phones at the wheel has almost halved.

Data released by the Ministry of Justice shows 17,414 prosecutions for drivers using their phone at the wheel last year, down by 47 per cent from 32,571 in 2009.

The fall comes despite a 2014 Department for Transport study which found that 1.6 per cent of drivers in England were seen using a phone, up from 1.4 per cent in 2009.

Mobile use is becoming a bigger factor in accidents according to the DfT and the latest figures show a 29 per cent rise from 349 accidents in 2010 to 492 last year.

The analysis was done by the RAC, which claimed there was an overwhelming frustration among motorists that many drivers were getting away with using phones.

RAC head of external affairs, Pete Williams, said: “There is still an enormous gulf between what the law states – that handheld mobile phones should not be used behind the wheel – and what motorists see happening on our roads.”

The punishment most likely to hit drivers is a fixed penalty notice (FPN), three penalty points and a £100 fine or a motorist may be summoned to a magistrates’ court if they ignore or challenge an FPN.