MORE than 500 drivers in Scotland have been caught by police using hand-held mobile phones since tougher penalties were introduced last week.
The figure prompted sharp criticism from road safety groups, who said it showed motorists should be more severely punished.
Scotland's eight police forces reported yesterday that at least 502 drivers had been caught since fines were doubled to £6
0 and three penalty points added to driving licences, ten days ago.
Those stopped included a lorry driver who allegedly crashed into roadworks near Edinburgh airport.
In another case, a 38-year-old man was found to have four mobile phones in his car after he refused to show police a hand-held mobile which officers saw him using in Edinburgh city centre.
Strathclyde Police recorded the greatest number - 190 offences - since Tuesday last week.
There were 82 in the Lothian and Borders force area, 58 in Dumfries and Galloway, 56 in Tayside and 47 in Central.
Fife Constabulary stopped 33 drivers up to Sunday, and there were 14 in Northern, which covers the Highlands and Islands.
Grampian Police said it had recorded only 22 offences so far, but was still awaiting figures from outlying parts of the force area.
Brake, a UK road safety group, said penalties should be far harsher. Brake wants £1,000 fines with six penalty points added to licences, along with a ban on hands-free phones.
Spokeswoman Dianne Ferreira said: "We were hoping the increase in penalties would finally ram the message home of the deadly danger of using mobile phones while driving, but 500 people in just over a week is a shocking reflection that it is not getting through.
"As we predicted, the penalty increase is no way significant enough for people to take this crime seriously."
Michael McDonnell, the director of Road Safety Scotland, said: "The police will continue to crack down.
"Drivers' reaction times when using a mobile phone are slower than if they had had a drink, so these figures appear to show that motorists who would never think of drink-driving are still not convinced."
A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: " It is disappointing that they [drivers] are still flouting the law despite the increased penalties.
"The dangers are quite apparent and we will continue to target those who continue to commit this offence."
Sergeant Scott McLachlan, of the road safety unit at Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, said: "In the first day of the campaign the region had ten offenders. For the smallest force to have almost 10 per cent of the national figure is shocking.
"Put simply, it is unsatisfactory behaviour from drivers."
