266 drivers were caught using their mobile phones during a 24 crackdown by Gardaí across the country.
It’s a four-fold increase on the previous day of action.
Just over a fortnight into the new year, 762 motorists have already been given fixed penalty notices of a €120 fine and three penalty points on their licence.
16 drivers in Carlow were among those caught while ten were detected on two Kilkenny city school routes within one hour alone.
Superintendent Jane Humphries from the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau says many still go undetected, noting; “It is a significant issue on our roads, we all see it every day, every journey that we make ourselves we all see somebody on their phone or somebody being distracted, this is absolutely significant and it is the tip of the iceberg”.
