A WEEK-LONG campaign will be launched next week to cut the number of people killed and injured by distracted drivers on the region’s roads.

Police say no fewer than 855 casualties were caused between 2009 and 2013 across Durham and Cleveland due to one or more of those involved being distracted – about five per cent of those injured on the roads.

An initiative is being carried out from Monday (July 28) to highlight the problem and try to reduce the number of road-users being hurt.

Among the distractions cited by police are talking on a mobile phone, texting, changing a CD, using satnav equipment or eating.

Chief Insp Alison Jackson, head of the joint Cleveland and Durham specialist operations unit, said:“Drivers who divide their attention because they’re on the phone or otherwise distracted are significantly increasing their risk of causing a crash.

“Tests have found drivers speaking on phones are four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury, whether on a hands-free or hand-held phone.

“Their crash risk remains higher than normal for up to 10 minutes after the call has ended.”

Over the next week road policing officers across the two forces will be paying particular attention to any motorists they see not paying full attention to what is in front of them.

Offenders could be issued with a fixed penalty notice or in more serious cases could face prosecution.

Research says that texting drivers have 35 per cent slower reaction times and poor lane control while a large-scale study of commercial drivers who text at the wheel found their crash risk increased to 23 times that of a driver paying full attention.

In the five years between 2008 and 2012, 7,215 people were caught using a mobile phone while driving in Durham and 4,991 in Cleveland.