DRIVERS who text at the wheel are being warned their habit can be a killer - and police won't let them get away with it.

A study found that driving while texting is more dangerous than driving after drinking or taking drugs.

The number of drivers handed a ticket for using a mobile at the wheel in Dorset has soared from five in 2007 to 300 this year.

Dorset Police is focusing on "driver distraction" such as text messaging and fiddling with the as part of a campaign to stop the three big killers on the road. The others are drink-driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Chief Inspector Wes Trickey said: "Speaking on a mobile phone or texting is a big distraction. You do not concentrate on the road."

He said speeding drivers were already being targeted by Dorset Safety Camera Partnership, which had 60 staff dealing with the problem.

Inspector Trickey said figures indicated that six fewer people had been killed on the county's roads this year so far.

The RAC Foundation, in a study published today, tested 17 to 24-year-olds in a driving simulator. Reaction times deteriorated by 35 per cent for those who were texting.

They also drifted out of their lane more often and steering control was 91 percent worse than normal.

Text messaging was second only in danger to driving while using a hand-held phone.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "No responsible motorist would drink and drive.

"We need to ensure that text devotees understand that texting is one of the most hazardous things that can be done while in charge of a car."

Drivers who cause fatal crashes while glancing at their mobile phone or changing the radio now face five years in jail thanks to a new law covering death by dangerous driving.

John Satchwell, road safety manager at Bournemouth Borough Council said: "I hope the results of this study will shock people, since it is no more acceptable to text while at the wheel as it is to drive under the effects of drink or drugs."

The council ran a campaign on buses and using radio adverts in March and April to highlight the dangers of using mobile phones and other distractions.

It plans to run a similar campaign with Poole and Dorset councils early next year.