National statistics should be compiled to assess the use of mobile phones while driving and decide whether harsher penalties should be introduced, according to experts.

Albert Bezzina, a doctor who studies road safety, said simply thinking about something else when at the wheel meant the brain could not receive what the eye is seeing, “let alone if you are texting”.

Stressing the need for research, he said: “It is important because you can identify problems and follow up whether the policies you carry out are actually having the desired effect.”

In Malta no entity is keeping records or studying the use of mobile phones at the wheel.

However, a survey by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory found that a driver’s reaction times slowed by 46 per cent when making a call on a hand-held mobile, by 37 per cent when texting while driving, and by 27 per cent during hands-free calls. In comparison, reaction times of those who had used cannabis slowed by 21 per cent and, for those on the drink drive limit, 13 per cent.

Dr Bezzina described the urgency to answer a call or text while driving as “a craving”.

“It’s psychological. However, it has to be overridden by the obligation to be safe on the road and the realisation that we need to pull to the side,” he said.

In Malta, the use of mobile phones while driving is a contravention and motorists are fined €11.65. This is not considered to be a strong deterrent, especially as a parking and obstruction offence would land you a €22.65 fine.

In the UK, where more than 500 people are killed or seriously injured each year as a result of driver distraction, penalties for driving while making a call or sending a text message range from three points and a €125 fine to a one-year ban.

UK experts believe that imposing a licence ban is the way to eliminate text driving. Tougher penalties are being considered by the government after a recent poll found that half of drivers, aged 18 to 24, texted while driving.

Adrian Galea, director general of the Malta Insurance Agency, stressed the importance of enforcement if such illegal practices are to be reduced.

I can tell from their body language that their attention is divided

“In line with the practice adopted abroad, harsh measures such as a combination of fines and penalty points (if and when introduced) should be considered.”

He said campaigns against the use of mobile phones should form part of a Safe Driving strategy, which included studies to assess the impact.

“The recently-launched Road Safety Strategy takes this matter (safe driving) into consideration. It acknowledges that further investigation is required to understand the impact that mobile phone use has on accidents,” he said.

Joe Micallef Stafrace, a former court traffic expert, said: “I still look at drivers through the eye of a traffic expert. I worry because I can tell from their body language that their attention is divided. You can see them, looking at the mobile, laughing or frowning  and you can tell that their concentration is not there.”

Dr Micallef Stafrace retired seven years ago, prior to the surge in use of smart phones. However, he said the principle is always the same: “Your focus on the road needs to be 100 per cent. Anything that distracts from this attentionis wrong.”

In Malta, the number of licensed motor vehicles stands at 315,875, among the highest per capita in the world. Mobile phones outnumber the population, with the total number of subscriptions in the country reaching 521,748.