Almost 250 drivers in the Shannonside region have received penalty points for driving while holding a mobile phone this year.
It continues an increase over the past two years.
The Road Safety Authority says you are four times more likely to have a crash if you use a mobile phone while driving.
It is illegal to hold a mobile while driving, and you get fined and given at least three penalty points if you get caught doing so.
New figures, released by the Department of Transport, reveal the offence remains common.
A total of 7,647 people around the country got penalty points for the offence between January and May.
They include 127 drivers in Roscommon, 67 in Longford, and 49 in Leitrim.
In all of last year, a total of 552 drivers in the Shannonside region got penalty points for the offence - up from 491 in 2022.
If the rate over the first five months of this year continues, the figure for 2024 will approach 600.
