Almost a quarter of male drivers admit to overtaking "blind" while at the wheel, according to a survey.

And as many as 44% of men have broken the 60mph speed limit on rural roads, found the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line.

The survey, based on responses from 1,000 UK drivers, showed that in the past year 24% of male drivers and 18% of women motorists admitted overtaking when they could not be certain nothing was coming.

A total of 24% of women admitted breaking 60mph rural road speed limits, while 20% of men and 9% of women were involved in an overtaking near-miss or incident while driving in the past year. More than half (52%) of women and 44% of men have been afraid when travelling as a passenger when their driver has overtaken another vehicle in the last 12 months.

Brake senior campaign officer Ellen Booth said: "Overtaking dangerously or driving too fast on rural roads puts yourself and others in grave danger, risking needless deaths and injuries.

"Some people kid themselves they can get away with excessive speeds and dangerous manoeuvres because they know the road. Yet driving on rural roads is highly unpredictable, and the consequences of risk-taking often horrendous."

RAC technical director David Bizley said: "It's clearly worrying the sheer number of motorists which admit to speeding, particularly on country roads, which are the most dangerous of all. Our own motoring report reveals 37% drivers say they speed in 50-60mph zones - supporting the evidence presented by Brake.

"The fact that the number of accidents and fatalities is higher on country roads highlights the need for motorists to apply the highest levels of responsibility when driving both in urban and rural areas."