THOUSANDS of drivers have been caught using a mobile phone or tablet behind the wheel in three years.

Since 2012, 3,616 motorists have been fined by North Yorkshire Police for making a call or texting as they travelled along the county’s roads.

A breakdown of the figures showed that in 2012, 1,623 people were caught, 1,098 were fined a year later, 778 in 2014 and 116 in the first two months of this year.

It became illegal to use a phone while driving in 2006. Drivers can be fined at least £100 and receive three points on their licence if they are caught by the police.

If cases go to court there is a maximum fine of £1,000 while people driving buses or goods vehicles can be fined £2,500.

Keith Horner, a national instructor at York Institute of Advanced Motorists, said people should be concentrating on driving and nothing else.

He said: “It’s an amazing amount of people that are prepared to put themselves and others at risk when they are driving.

“It takes a hand from the wheel and stops you using the controls properly.

“It takes the eyes off the road and the mind off moving the vehicle around properly when driving should be their priority.

“We would recommend that if you are driving a vehicle it should be your responsibility and if you need to use your phone you should pull over safely from the road, stop the engine and remove the keys from the ignition.”

Mr Horner also advised against using hands-free kits for long periods because of the distractions they can cause.

“I don’t make calls with my hands-free, I only answer them, and if I think it’s going to be an involved call I will pull over and call them back.

“I would still recommend that if you are driving, you should be doing that not using your phone.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Whilst we have seen a drop in mobile phone and tablet usage since the introduction of legislation, we are still seeing people on a daily basis using their phone to take a call or send a text whilst driving.

“The consequences of driving whilst using a mobile or tablet can be devastating. I urge people to turn off their phones so they are not distracted by a call or a message and concentrate on the road. Taking that call or answering that message could be a killer.”