Almost half of drivers have stopped on the hard shoulder of a motorway to make or receive a telephone call, despite the fact that this area is for emergencies only, a new survey by AA Ireland has shown.

According to AA Ireland's director of policy, Conor Faughnan, the hard shoulder of a motorway is ‘an extremely dangerous place to be'.

"It should only be used in an emergency, for example, if your car breaks down and you can't restart it.

"It's alarming the number of motorists willing to casually pull over and put themselves and their passengers in a dangerous situation, and all too often to respond to a text or answer a call," he said.

He advised motorists who are experiencing genuine car trouble to make their way to the nearest exit or designated rest area ‘and find a safe place to pull in before calling for assistance'.

"If this is not an option, pull in as far as you can and use your hazard lights to alert traffic behind you. To reduce the risk of breaking down on the motorway, please ensure you have plenty of fuel in your tank before you head off," he said.

He pointed out that every week, AA patrols are called out to at least four motorists on motorways who have completely run out of fuel.

Meanwhile, according to Noel Brett, the chief executive of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the number of people found walking on motorways is also a cause for concern.

"Stopping or walking on a motorway is extremely dangerous and could lead to death or serious injury. Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users and when exposed to vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 120km/h, the risk of death or injury is greatly increased. Last year, four pedestrians were killed on Irish motorways," he explained.

The AA Ireland survey involved over 8,000 drivers. Aside from using their phone, some of the other reasons people gave for stopping on the hard shoulder included to take a rest, to go to the toilet, to discipline a child and to change an item of clothing.

In an effort to raise awareness of this important safety issue, the RSA is broadcasting a new 30-second radio advertisement from this week. It noted that since 2005, almost 100 people have been killed or seriously injured as a result of collisions on Ireland's motorways.