The number of NSW motorists caught using handheld mobiles whilst driving is growing despite tougher penalties introduced mid-last year, police today revealed following a state-wide crack-down on the offence last week.

NSW Police are catching an average of 14,000 motorists using their handsets illegally while driving each year, compared to around 12,000 three years ago according to Commander of NSW Police Traffic Services, Ron Sorrenson.

The increase is occurring despite the introduction of harsher penalties for the offence that have been in effect since July 2002.

NSW State Transport Minister Carl Scully increased fines for using handheld mobiles while driving by 86 percent from AU$118 to AU$220 and made NSW the second Australian state to deduct merit points from licences for the offence last May.

Sorrenson said that the tougher penalties were working even though the number of motorists caught using handheld phones had risen since they were introduced. He argues that the increase is small when compared to the number of new phones that entered the market over the same period.

"Compared to the number of new phones going on to the network, that's only going up marginally each year," said Sorrenson.

Last week, 490 drivers were issued with fines for the offence as part of a state-wide dragnet to serve as a warning to the motoring community that police were watching.

Unlike other driving offences, said Sorrenson, measuring the effect of mobile phones on accident rates is an elusive task.

Sorrenson said there was no hard data to show that any accident was the result of illegal use of a mobile phone. Nevertheless, the Police and mobile communications providers are co-operating to warn drivers of the dangers of the activity.

-We are continually approached by members of the public detailing horror stories of 'near misses' by other drivers who were at the time on their hand-held mobile telephones," said Deputy Commissioner, NSW Police Operations, Dave Madden.

Though NSW Police argue that the offence occurs frequently, offences that can be detected using technology such as speeding and red light breaches are picked up more readily than illegal use of handsets.

Each year NSW Police issue around 500,000 tickets for speeding and a further 75,000 for traffic light infringements.

The toughening penalties last year followed the release of an overseas study indicating the activity could be as dangerous driving under the influence of alcohol. A United Kingdom motor insurer found that drivers using handheld mobiles while travelling at 110 km/h have their reaction time slowed by 50 percent, 30 percent more than a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08.

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