Could choice of car reveal driving behaviour?

Do people who behave badly on the road drive similar cars? This is the question new research from Confused.com attempted to answer when it analysed car insurance claims from over the last five years.

The price comparison website revealed its study found the motorists most likely to be caught going too fast are those who get behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery HSE V6 TD or the Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE TD6, with 26 and 20 per cent of owners of these vehicles respectively seen breaking this rule.

Other violators of the statutory speed limit include individuals who drive BMW 320 DM Sports, Ford S-Max Titanium TDCIs, Ford Mondeo Titanium X TDCI (140)s, Vauxhall Insignia SRI CDTI (158)s, Mercedes E320 Avant Gardes and Mini Cooper TDs.

Around a fifth of motorists who own these vehicles have been caught travelling too fast, but while this may suggest they are adrenaline junkies, it does not mean they are careless about protection.

Instead, the car driven by the most people who try to get away with taking to Britain's roads without buying car insurance is the Vauxhall Astra Edition 16V Coupe, the figures showed.

When it comes to using a handheld device like a mobile phone at the wheel, Ford Galaxy Zetec TDI owners were the most likely to have been caught, with 1.94 per cent of them admitting to being seen committing this offence.

Meanwhile, Audi A3 S3 FSI t Quattro drivers stood out as those ignoring instructions from traffic lights and Peugeot 106 GTI owners were most commonly seen driving without due care and attention.

People with Citroen Saxo VTRs were more frequently caught drink driving and individuals behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Zafira Design DTI were found to be the most likely to take to the roads with defective tyres.

Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com Gareth Kloet said: "The rules of the road are designed to help shape our driving habits and to maximise road safety ... Keeping on the right side of the law will obviously help to not only minimise the cost of your insurance but also help keep you on the road and keep the roads safe."

One charity worried about the behaviour of drivers is Brake, which recently called for cuts in the number of traffic police operating in the UK to be stopped, arguing this could encourage people to break the law.

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