MOST of us are now so reliant on our mobiles that they have become modern life support systems.

They are packed with vital information about our lives – everything from reminder notes to online banking apps – and that’s without the “basic” stuff relating to phone calls, texts and emails.

Unfortunately, mobiles are also instruments of potential danger and even death – not necessarily for us but for the people we may injure or worse  while using our phones while driving.

It seems unbelievable that such large numbers of normally quite sane individuals are happy to send texts and emails while controlling a very large, fast-moving hunk of metal on the roads.

Small wonder, then that now every driver in a crash is to have their mobile seized to try to cut road deaths that occur while drivers are phoning or texting at the wheel. Police will now be checking to see if motorists used their mobile moments before an accident, and thus broke the law.

This means that even a minor shunt between two cars could result in those involved having their mobiles confiscated. Previously, this only happened in accidents where people were killed or seriously injured. But now police chiefs believe it is the only way to cut the terrifying human damage toll caused by drivers phoning or texting.

More than 500 people every year are killed or seriously injured as a result of drivers of cars or lorries on phones, texting or even checking their social media. Why they would ever think it’s acceptable to do this when all our concentration is needed to simply drive safely and be aware of other road-users is beyond me.

Many people appear to have their phones permanently welded to their ear, unable to refrain from using their mobile for even a short time. The need to talk to or text others, mostly about trivia, check out emails or find out if a new message has been posted on Facebook simply underlines our obsession with mobiles.

Current deterrents are obviously not working, and police are now rightly taking a much tougher stance. Of course, such is the obsession that the greatest punishment for offenders will probably be the loss of their phone. Pathetic.