There are serious risks in people using mobile phones while driving, and even hands-free units can be a dangerous distraction, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, has said.
However, he ruled out prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving.
He was speaking in Dublin at the publication of a new leaflet from the Automobile Association (AA), Eircell and Esso, which includes practical tips for drivers.
More than one million copies of the leaflet will be circulated to all Eircell customers and distributed through Esso garages.
The public affairs manager of the AA, Mr Conor Faughnan, said drivers using mobile phones made six times more mistakes than people driving normally.
Among the tips for drivers in the leaflet are:
Never use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Instead use a hands-free kit or an ear-piece.
Pull in if you are going to make a call.
Where possible, stop safely before answering a telephone call.
Let the person you are speaking with know you are driving.
Keep conversations short.
Never use the phone while turning at a junction or negotiating a roundabout.
Never take notes or look up numbers while driving.