A SURVEY suggests nearly one fifth of young drivers admit to video calling while behind the wheel as Bolton driving instructors work to stamp out such dangerous behaviour.

A poll of 3,068 drivers, in research commissioned by the RAC, indicates that 18 per cent of UK motorists aged 17-24 are more than twice as likely to make or receive video calls than other age groups.

The average across all ages is eight per cent.

Darz Driving School in Bolton is aware of mobile phones being used more by young drivers and are addressing these concerns with learners during lessons.

Humma Javed, who works at the driving school, said: "When instructors get in the car with learner drivers they ask them to put their phones away and out of sight.

"While they are with us their phones are away but we want that to continue when they have passed.

"If they have their phone in front of them and can see that they have received an alert they will look at it rather than the road.

"It just takes a second for a driver to look away for something to happen and go wrong. The car is still moving.

"Something we are doing more is telling learner drivers to focus on their driving."

The RAC has warned that the growth in popularity of video calling services such as FaceTime, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp poses a "new, clear and present danger" on UK roads.

Some 29 per cent of drivers of all ages say they make and receive voice calls on handheld phones while behind the wheel.

This is up six percentage points on last year and is the highest proportion since 2016.

Other drivers' use of handheld phones is the second biggest overall motoring-related concern identified in the RAC's annual Report On Motoring, with the state of local roads in first place.

A third of all UK drivers surveyed (32 per cent) say mobile use concerns them.

Almost four out of five (79 per cent) want to see camera technology introduced to catch drivers using their phones illegally.

In 2019, there were 637 casualties on Britain's roads, including 18 deaths and 135 serious injuries, in crashes where a driver using a mobile was a contributory factor.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: "The problem of illegal phone use at the wheel has far from disappeared.

"The rise in the popularity of video calls means this type of communication represents a new, clear and present danger on the UK's roads in 2020.

"Our findings from 2016 were a watershed moment which led to the UK Government calling for people to make illegal mobile phone use while driving as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.

"The fact drivers still state it's their second biggest motoring concern of all shows that more progress still needs to be made here."

Since March 2017, motorists caught using a handheld phone have faced incurring six points on their licence and a £200 fine, up from the previous penalty of three points and £100.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "We're finalising plans to strengthen the law in this area, adding to the work of our award-winning THINK! campaigns in changing drivers' behaviour."

There are also reports of drivers using mobile phone apps such as Snapchat to share videos of themselves with fellow users while they are driving.