Mobile phone drivers worst in Sydney

Sydney drivers have taken out the title of being the worst offenders in the state when it comes to using mobile phones behind the wheel.

Statistics from the NSW traffic and highway patrol show there were 2042 drivers caught using their phones in the city in the 2016-17 financial year.

The next worst suburbs were Parramatta in the west with 1292, followed by the inner city suburbs of Waterloo with 669 people booked and Edgecliff with 580.

Across the state, 39,007 people were detected using their phones while driving, a jump of 404 compared to the previous financial year.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy says there is no excuse for drivers using their phones while behind the wheel, especially given road rules were changed in 2012 to allow drivers to make calls through a car's bluetooth system.

"To have drivers with the phone up to their ears in current model vehicles that are fully bluetooth-enabled shows a complete lack of personal responsibility," Mr Corboy said in a statement on Friday.

He described the continued increase in drivers using their mobile phones as "disappointing".

"When you drive while using a phone, your attention is not on the road, on other cars, pedestrians, or on other dangers and it poses a risk to everyone who uses the road," he said.