THE road safety charity Brake is reminding younger drivers about the dangers of using a smartphone while driving.

A new survey by the charity and Direct Line revealed more than half of drivers, 55 per cent, aged between 25 and 34-years-old, admitted reading or sending a text messages on their mobile, while behind the wheel of their car, in the last year.

One in five drivers, between 18 and 24-years-old, confirmed they regularly text or instant messaged when they are behind the wheel, while almost half of drivers, 49 per cent, aged 25 to 34-years-old, admitted to having using an app while driving.

A spokesman for the charity said a texting drivers' reaction time can be 35 per cent slower, and they also will have poor lane control.

A large scale study had also found a texting drivers was 23 times more likely to crash than a driver paying full attention.

Alice Bailey, campaigns and communications adviser for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Younger drivers, especially those aged between 25 and 34, simply aren’t getting the message about the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.

"Doing any other complex task while driving hugely increases your chance of crashing.

"We’ve seen recent examples of drivers who have crashed while trying to play games like Pokémon Go or posting Snapchat images while behind the wheel.

"These drivers are putting their own and other people’s lives in grave danger by taking this risk."

Fore more details visit brake.org.uk.