More than 60 per cent of people say antisocial driving is a major problem on the roads.

New facts and figures were released with the start of the Drive Smart campaign, run by Surrey County Council (SCC) and Surrey Police, which aims to encourage people to drive with more consideration.

A survey, Driving You Mad, was carried out by 1,000 residents, to test attitudes to various aspects of people’s driving.

Almost half the women interviewed, and 38 per cent of the men, say they have no bad driving habits.

Older drivers are the most complacent, with 54 per cent saying they were good drivers.

But in Reigate and Banstead 5.8 per cent of the drivers interviewed admitted to driving over the legal limit, 2.6 per cent in Mole Valley admitted to having a few before driving and 3.3 per cent in Epsom admitted they would have failed the breathalyser test.

The new leader of SCC, Dr Andrew Povey, said: “Not only is bad and inconsiderate driving dangerous, it is also damaging to people’s quality of life.

“We will be investing in equipment and officer time to carry out enforcement and education activities to help make Surrey’s roads safer, but it is also vital we influence driver behaviour through our Drive Smart campaign.”

The campaign targets a range of driving behaviour, include tailgating, bad or inconsiderate parking, using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel, speeding, drink and drug driving and generally thoughtless or reckless driving.

Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: “More than 60 per cent of people told us antisocial driving and speeding are a big concern for them.

“People who indulge in these bad driving habits are selfish.

“Not only does their behaviour annoy other people but it can be very dangerous.”

The survey has revealed some interesting findings about driver attitudes and concerns.

Of those admitting to antisocial driving, fewer women than men said they were guilty of speeding, driving while tired or parking inconsiderately.

In all, women said they were better drivers than men in 10 of the 11 survey categories picked as antisocial driving, including inconsiderate parking, using a mobile phone without hands-free equipment and speeding.

The use of mobile phones was considered one of the three most important issues by 58.8 per cent of Mole Valley drivers, while 51.2 per cent thought drink driving should be in the top three.

The figures for Epsom and Ewell showed 50 per cent of drivers thought mobile phones were a problem, 61 per cent voted for drink driving and in Reigate and Banstead 69.9 per cent included drink driving in the top three, while 47.3 per cent opted for mobile phones.