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Smartphone crackdowns come after a driver successfully appealed his driving conviction because he was just filming the aftermath of an accident and not for communication purposes. Ramsey

Barreto, 51, was cleared by the High Court who ruled previous legislation did not ban taking videos.  The recent RAC Report on Motoring revealed 35 percent of young drivers between the ages

of 17 and 25 continue to use mobile phones to check social media, emails or texts when behind the wheel.  Transport Select Committee chairman Lillian Greenwood said the government's

decision to accept the group's recommendation to tighten up the law came as great news.  She added: "The difference between interactive communications and stand-alone functions on

our phones is a loophole that has prevented police from prosecuting drivers who continue to use their phones behind the wheel and put themselves and other road users at risk." Motorists

can be heavily distracted if they use a phone behind the wheel and recent research from Evans Halshaw has shown how far a vehicle can travel while a driver is distracted through simple

actions such as texting or changing a song. Their findings show reading an email is the most dangerous activity while behind the wheel as some motorists travel up to a staggering 532m if

reading a long message for only 17 seconds. DON'T MISS Orpington bus crash: One dead and 15 injured [BREAKING] Electric cars could soon be charged within 10 minutes [TECHNOLOGY] Tesla

to provide the first fully electric taxi in this major city [ELECTRIC CARS] READING AN EMAIL Glancing down at your phone to check an important email is deemed to be the most dangerous

activity you can do whilst behind the wheel. According to Evans Halshaw data, drivers can travel a staggering 532m while driving at 70mph for just 17 seconds, the average time spent reading

an important message. It means a driver will cover the length of five football pitches to read just one email, cut to four if you axe your speed to 60mph and three if travelling at 40mph.

TAKING A SELFIE You might think this is stupid. But people really do it. #RoadTripSelfie has been doing the rounds on social media as people grab a special snap to remember their trip. But

taking a cheeky picture could see police officers charge you with driving without due care and attention as well as using your phone while behind the wheel. It is also the second most

dangerous thing you can do while driving, with motorists travelling a total of 376m in the estimated 12 seconds to take an image. That is the same length as seven and a half Olympic swimming

pools. WATCHING AN INSTAGRAM STORY Instagram may put you in contact with friends and relatives wherever you are, but checking their latest updates while behind the wheel could have major

consequences. A standard image Instagram story lasts around five seconds and would see drivers travel 156m if they were travelling 70mph, the length of seven-and-a-half cricket pitches.

TEXTING Writing or reading a text can also have devastating consequences for motorists and the urge to reach over and grab a phone when a text comes through is often too much for many. But

reading a quick message is likely to take four seconds which will see a car travel 125m if the vehicle is going 70mph. That may not sound like much, but sending a quick reply will often take

around eight seconds as your car travels another 250m. CHANGING A SONG Streaming services are replacing car radios and CDs, but have you ever thought about the consequences of quickly

flicking to the latest tune? Moving your eyes off the road to change track takes around three seconds, meaning you would have travelled almost 100m if driving at 70mph. HOW TO BE SAFE To

increase safety behind the wheel, charity THINK! recommend drivers use the glove compartment to store their devices while driving. Placing your phone out of sight will mean drivers are less

likely to catch a quick glimpse or be distracted unnecessarily while they are behind the wheel. Drivers can only get fined if they touch their phone while driving and devices can be mounted

on the dashboard for navigation purposes as long as they are not tampered with during a journey.