Cheshire Police caught 86 drivers using their mobile phones at the wheel in the first five days since the new tougher penalties were introduced.
The penalties issued to motorists caught using a mobile phone doubled from Wednesday, 1st March.
Anyone who is stopped for driving whilst using a handheld mobile device will now receive a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence.
In addition, offending motorists will no longer be offered the chance to complete the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) training course as an alternative to receiving points on their licence.
The change could have major ramifications for young drivers, and people who have held their licence for less than two years, as they now face the prospect of having their licence revoked on their first offence.
Assistant Chief Constable Darren Martland said: "Driving whilst using a mobile phone is unacceptable, as they can distract drivers, which can put the lives of motorists and pedestrians at risk.
"Our roads policing team deal serious and fatal collisions on a daily basis, which can be harrowing and traumatic, but families are left to deal with the consequences for many years."
So far this financial year the Cheshire Police has issued 2463 tickets to motorists caught driving whilst using a mobile phone up from 2062 tickets in 2015/16.
As with the previous legislation motorists will still have the option to attend court to contest the offence. However, if the court rules against the defendant the penalty could be greater.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.