A CRACKDOWN is underway in a bid to stop drivers using mobile phones behind the wheel.

Dorset Police officers are stepping up patrols this week after revealing there have been at least 60 casualties in collisions as a direct result of someone being on their phone while driving since 2012.

They said: “All this week we’re stepping up patrols to enforce mobile phone laws to prevent further casualties and deaths on our roads. #DontRiskIt”

Sergeant Neil Dewson-Smyth, who is behind the national Don’t Stream and Drive campaigns, said: “I think it is a good idea to highlight motorists who use their phones. I firmly believe that we have to keep raising awareness of this danger in order to stop it.

“There are some people using their phones who haven’t really thought about the risks they are taking.”

Police Sergeant Mark Farrow, of the Dorset Police No Excuse team, said: “As an officer who deals with the often tragic aftermath when a driver is distracted at the wheel, I would like to make a personal plea to the driving public who think it’s OK to use a mobile phone while driving to seriously consider their actions.”