MOTORISTS who cause fatal crashes could be jailed for up to five years if it is found they were using their mobile phone at the time.
A new offence of causing death by careless driving - unveiled by the Government - would plug a loophole in the law which at the moment sees drivers escape with a fine.
Currently, anyone who kills on the road and is charged with careless driving can only be handed a fine of up to £2,500.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "There is a definite need for stronger punishments for those who kill on the road but the Government's example, motorists who kill while on their mobile phones, is not careless but actually dangerous.
"Using a mobile while driving is a wilful act and therefore a dangerous act."
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