There is a worrying lack of awareness when it comes to knowledge on UK driving laws, new research suggests.

The survey, conducted by Warranty Direct, reveals that areas of particular weakness include understanding road safety, general vehicle rules and interpretation of the Highway Code.

Awareness regarding motorway driving in particular produced some troubling results. A quarter of respondents thought it was legal to both overtake and undertake on the motorway, and nearly a third think you’re allowed to pull over and sleep on the hard shoulder if you can’t find a rest stop. These are clearly extremely dangerous practices to take part in.

Half of drivers also thought it was fine to  flash your lights to warn fellow drivers of a speed trap, in spite of a well-publicised case in 2011 of a man being fined £440 for doing so and in turn being accused of ‘obstructing the police’.

Staying with the topic of speed, many drivers could do with revising their mph to km/h figures, especially if they have a km/h speedo in their current car. According to 32% of respondents, the national single carriageway speed limit in the UK is 112km/h or 70mph, when it is in fact 60mph.

Other laws drivers showed a high lack of awareness of, included it being illegal to drive barefoot, it is illegal to use your horn whilst stationary and you are not obliged to wear a seatbelt whilst reversing.

Philip Ward, chief operating officer for Warranty Direct, said: “There is a strong need for UK drivers to brush up on their knowledge of driving laws.

“The results suggest many mistakes made could be down to not knowing the appropriate laws, which can be easily rectified. We recommend any unsure drivers to re-read a copy of the Highway Code to avoid causing any dangerous situations when out on the road.”