The survey, carried out by Brake and Direct Line, found that almost one in four (24%) men risk catastrophic head-on crashes by overtaking blind, while more than four in 10 (44%) admit speeding at 60mph+ on rural roads.

The Brake and Direct Line survey of 1,000 UK drivers found:

Almost one in four men (24%) and one in six women (18%) admitted overtaking when they couldn't be certain nothing was coming, in the past year.

One in five men (20%) and one in 10 women (9%) have been involved in an overtaking near-miss or incident while driving in the past year.

More than half of all drivers (54%) have witnessed an overtaking near-miss or incident by another driver in the past year, with one in five (19%) experiencing a vehicle approaching on their side of the road.

Over half of women (52%) have been afraid when travelling as a passenger when their driver has overtaken another vehicle in the past year, compared to 44% of men

More than four in 10 men (44%) have broken a 60mph limit on a rural road, compared to one in four women (24%) and men are twice as likely to do this monthly or more (20% compared to 9%).

In response Brake is pressing for government and local authority action to lower speed limits on rural roads to 50mph or lower and implement measures to deter speeding and overtaking, especially on crash black-spots and road that pass through rural communities. Brake is highlighting that simple, often low-cost engineering measures can significantly reduce casualties.

The organisation is also calling for the Government to get tough on rural road risk by funding wider traffic enforcement and running publicity campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers involved in driving too fast and overtaking.