The Minister for the Environment has asked a "high-level" committee to consider banning the use of mobile phones by drivers.
Mr Dempsey told The Irish Times he took the step because it was obvious to any observer there was "nobody paying a blind bit of notice" to exhortations from the Garda, the AA and others not to use mobile phones while driving.
"I think it's increasingly becoming a hazard and for that reason I've asked it to be raised with the high-level committee on road safety," he said.
"I'm asking them to urgently consider whether there's a need to ban the use of mobile phones by drivers."
Mr Dempsey said recent road accident statistics released by the National Roads Authority showed 37 per cent of all fatal, two-vehicle accidents last year were caused by one driver travelling on the wrong side of the road and 9 per cent by motorists driving through stop or yield signs.
"I'm not saying they were all using mobile phones but the total percentage of accidents where driver error was identified as a contributory factor was 82 per cent, and I think the use of mobile phones while driving is certainly causing some of those accidents," he said.
At present, the use of mobile phones by drivers is not against the law but if a motorist's use of a mobile phone results in careless or dangerous driving, the motorist can be so charged, and evidence will be given in court of such use.
No statistics are kept on the number of prosecutions for careless or dangerous driving in the State which are directly related to mobile phone use.
Mr Dempsey said the question of whether the use of mobile phones by drivers should be an offence under the Road Traffic Act was examined when the Government strategy on road safety for 1998 to 2002 was being drawn up. "It was felt at the time it was not a major problem," he said.
However, he feels the situation has changed. "The numbers of people you actually now see using mobile phones while driving in comparison to even three or four years ago seems to have increased four or fivefold. I just feel that it has got so much more common now that it has to be looked at again."
He said the Road Traffic Bill 2001, which will see the introduction of penalty points for motorists who commit any one of 68 offences, was now before the Dail. If the committee recommended the banning of mobile phones by drivers this could be included in the Bill.
The committee on road safety was set up to draft the Government's road safety strategy and oversee its implementation.