Almost half of in-car smokers plan to ignore new Highway Code rules about lighting up behind the wheel, a survey showed today

As many as 68% of those polled have not read the code since passing the driving test, the survey by insurance company esure found.

More than a quarter of those who light up in the car said they have been forced to do so since the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in England on July 1. People were most likely to light up on long journeys, when stuck in traffic and when feeling stressed.

As many as 53% of the 1,000 people polled were against smoking in cars, with the Welsh most opposed and people in south-west England most keen to light up.

The survey also found:

:: 80% of smoking motorists admit to taking their hands off the wheel in order to light a cigarette

:: 75% think smoking while driving on a motorway is acceptable and poses no risks

:: 46% have accidentally dropped their cigarette in the car and 26% have taken their eyes of the road in order to retrieve it

:: 45% dispose of their cigarette butt by throwing it out the car

:: Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure, said: "The debate over in-car smoking has the nation polarised with arguments both for and against a ban.

"However, our study reveals a raft of behaviours that not only go against the new rulings, but could have dangerous consequences."