Texting while driving increasing death toll on the roads

A new survey has found that trivial text messages sent or read by drivers at the wheel have claimed the lives of many on the roads and left many more injured.

According to a News Limited investigation, a man believed to have crashed while texting a smiley face icon to a mate is among current cases being probed by state coroners and police, the Herald Sun reported.

Other short messages linked to recent fatal accidents on the roads include "I'll be home soon", and "Hey are you still coming today?"

The analysis of police, court and coroner's records reveals text wreck victims over the past decade include drivers, their passengers, other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Revelations of the mounting death toll have prompted a coalition of grieving relatives, road safety groups, mobile service providers and others to unite in a bid to stop such accidents.

Some studies have shown texting increases the risk of a crash or near crash by up to 15 times for car drivers, and over 20 times for truck drivers.

Surveys routinely show up to 40 percent of drivers admit sending or reading an SMS while driving.