POLICE are reminding motorists about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving.

Officers say research shows that you are four times more likely to crash if using a mobile phone while driving and your reaction times are about 50 per cent slower.

Between January and December 2011, 5,802 people were caught using a hand-held device while driving in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

A police spokesman said: “It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile device while driving on the road. If caught, drivers face a fine, their insurance costs could go up and they could lose their licence.”

Inspector Jon Snook said: “Using a mobile phone while driving, even only for a second, is not only illegal, but puts you and others at an unacceptable risk.

“We’re on patrol to deter drivers from taking those risks and catch anyone who chooses to flout the law.”