TWO people died and two were seriously injured in crashes thought to be related to mobile telephone use by drivers in Oxfordshire between January and June this year.

There were also seven people who were slightly injured in less serious accidents related to mobile telephone use in the county during the same period, according to Thames Valley Police figures.

The figures are for the first six months of this year, when out of 1,008 collisions, six were believed to be linked to mobile telephone use.

Police say the reality is likely to be worst than statistics reveal.

In March this year, a survey of drivers on Botley Road, Oxford, found 19 drivers using telephones in 90 minutes.

Thames Valley Police spokesman, Annie Tysom, said the crashes involving fatalities were still being investigated. Thames Valley Police roads policing department manager, Malcolm Collis, said: "The statistics will deflate the reality because for a lot of collisions we wouldn't seize the telephones and get them checked.

"I suspect the true number of accidents related to mobile telephone use is significantly higher than this.

"Unless there was evidence, we wouldn't pick up on every instance where a mobile telephone is used.

"It's like if you ask drivers involved in an accident if they were wearing their seat belts they would say yes. If you ask them if they were on their mobile they will say no."

Mr Collis said drivers talking on their mobile telephone are four times more likely to be involved in a collision than those who aren't.

He said: "It is not decreasing, there is still a hardcore of people who are prepared to use their telephone and risk the lives of others.The problem is that the penalty is paltry at the moment. It is £30 with no penalty points."

He said legislation going through Parliament should mean that drivers caught on the telephone will soon have their licence endorsed with three penalty points.

If the case goes to court, private car drivers could face fines of £1,000, while commercial drivers could be fined up to £2,500.

He said: "It is a lot of young people who are flouting the law. It seems to be young girls who are either oblivious to the law or willing to take the risk.

"Even hands free kits are a difficulty. With a hands free kit you are still more likely to have an accident than if you had drunk alcohol up to the legal limit."

The statistics show that mobile telephones were responsible for 30 collisions out of a total of 2,099 accidents in the county during the whole of 2005.

Out of those no one died or was seriously injured and mobile telephone use was a contributory factor in nine people being slightly injured.

Drivers were banned from using mobiles without hands-free equipment in 2003, but the figures and Mr Collis's comments show the legislation may not be working.