Ever texted while driving? You could lose your licence under tough new penalties
Drivers who use their mobile phones behind the wheel will face new, tougher punishments under new plans by government ministers.
Officials want to double the existing penalties for illegal mobile use - from three points and a minimum £100 fine, to six points and at least £200.
It means that newly-passed drivers - who have their licence revoked if they earn six points within two years of their test - would face a 'one strike and you're out' system.
More experienced drivers can have their licence withdrawn if they build up 12 points or more within a three-year period.
AA president Edmund King welcomed the proposals.
"This is radical. One text and you're out. But if we are to change the attitudes of young drivers maybe it has to be that harsh," he said.
"Driving while using a phone is a dangerous habit which has only got worse over the last couple of years.
"The current fines and points are not enough of a deterrent. We need to double the fines and double the penalty points to have a real impact."
It comes as Department for Transport figures show that mobile phone use was a contributory factor in 492 accidents in Britain in 2014 - including 21 fatal crashes and 84 classed as 'serious'.
And research by the RAC released this week found illegal mobile use was on the rise.
Almost a third of drivers (31 per cent) admitted to using a handheld phone while behind the wheel, up from just eight per cent in 2014.
Some 19 per cent said they had sent a message or posted to social media while driving, up from seven per cent, and 14 per cent of motorists confessed to taking photos or videos while driving.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling vowed to introduce tougher sanctions for using mobile phones while driving "shortly" - going further than the recommendations put forward in a government consultation last year.
The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for roads policing, Ch Cons Suzette Davenport, also welcomed the government plans.
"Using mobile phones is one of the most dangerous behaviours for motorists, putting drivers, passengers and others on the road at risk of death and serious harm," she said.
"We welcome the tougher penalties announced by the Department of Transport."
Jayne Willetts, lead for roads policing for the Police Federation of England and Wales, suggested the rise was linked to a 27 per cent drop in the number of visible traffic officers on the roads.
"Police do actively target people using mobile phones when they are out on duty, but unfortunately, with fewer officers out on the roads, more of these offences are going undetected," she said.