One in 20 (5%) drivers have reported nearly having an accident during a hands-free call behind the wheel.

Studies have persistently shown hands-free calls to be no safer than driving while holding a phone

The research, carried out for May’s Used Car Tracker for Startline Motor Finance, also found that around 16% of respondents make hands-free calls but acknowledge their concentration on driving is worse, and 22% say the same happens to other drivers.

And a third (36%) of respondents don’t make hands-free calls because they believe them to be risky.

Just one in four drivers (26%) say that it is safe to make a hands-free call while driving.

The research was carried out following a new initiative from the Road Safety Trust to make more police officers aware of the dangers of hands-free calls. The trust says studies have persistently shown hands-free calls to be no safer than driving while holding a phone.

Existing analysis shows drivers using either a hand-held or a hands-free phone are four times more likely to be involved in a collision, often fail to notice hazards – even when they appear directly ahead of them – and take longer to react to any hazards they do notice.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “Our research suggests that a clear majority of drivers recognise that hands-free calls are a road safety issue, and that both their driving and that of other motorists suffers.

“More than a third of people are effectively policing themselves by choosing not to make hands-free calls and indeed, the fact that one in 20 admit to nearly having had an accident while on the phone is a sign of how serious the problem can be.”

However, the Startline Used Car Tracker also shows there is limited backing for changing the law on hands-free calling, with fewer than one in five (18%) saying that phoning while driving should be made illegal.

Burgess said: “It’s not easy to know how to interpret findings that indicate widespread acceptance that hands-free driving is dangerous but little impetus for seeing the law changed. Perhaps, in a society where everyone is expected to be potentially available all the time, there is simply a belief that hands-free calls are a necessary risk.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research, a specialist in business intelligence reporting and customer experience programmes. This edition of the survey quizzed 303 consumers and 60 dealers.