PRESSURE at work is making drivers check their phones behind the wheel, it has emerged.

A survey found 14 per cent of road users in Yorkshire were so concerned about work it made them feel like they needed to respond while driving.

The new poll, which coincides with Road Safety Week, found nearly 40 per cent of people in the county admit to using their phone behind the wheel while driving, and one in five do not think it’s dangerous.

The Press has been running The Road To Justice campaign over the last six weeks to call on the Government to rewrite sentencing guidelines for dangerous drivers.

We have revealed the pain and anguish families feel after their loved ones were killed by reckless drivers and offenders receive a short sentence.

The statistics, provided by second hard car website trusteddealers.co.uk, show many people may not know the true cost of using a mobile phones while driving.

Neil Addley, managing director, said: "Despite the fact that most drivers know that using their phone behind the wheel is dangerous, the latest results show that in a world where we are constantly online, many people feel under pressure to be continually available, even when driving.

"This mind set is putting safe drivers and other road users at risk.

“Trusted Dealers is supporting the call for more investment to be put into policing illegal mobile phone use as our results show that only two per cent of drivers received points on their licence, despite one in ten using their phones illegally on a daily basis."

York Press: Road to Justice embed

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, is also urging drivers to back road safety charity Brake's pledge by reducing the amount they drive, staying sober at the wheel, silent by turning off their phones, slow, secure and sharp by taking regular breaks.

She said: "We all need to respect each other on the roads; pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

"This year has seen worrying increases in deaths and serious injuries on our roads. We cannot take safety for granted, every day, five people are still killed on Britain’s roads and each one is a tragedy.

"This Road Safety Week it is time the Government ended their complacency on road safety and reversed their decision to axe targets to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads."

To take the Brake pledge go to www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/pledge and to support The Road To Justice campaign sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/156369