A car's looks and top speed are more important than its safety features to the men, who accounted for 80% of drivers shunning seatbelts in the NOP Automotive poll.

As many as 8% of drivers polled admitted they flouted driving safety laws by not "belting up".

The survey follows a recent report by the Transport Research Laboratory which indicated that 40% of adults still fail to wear seatbelts in the back of cars, eight years after the use of rear belts became compulsory.

Chris Buck, of NOP Automotive, said: "There is still a significant minority of drivers who are clearly more interested in the performance an appearance of a car than its safety features.

"Even though a majority of drivers admit to having been in an accident, there are clearly some who are prepared to risk their own lives by failing to wear seatbelts on every journey they make."

The NOP survey of 500 drivers also found:

• 61% have been in a car crash, with 6% saying it occurred at speeds of 60mph or more
• Men are more likely than women to crash at speed and drivers under 45 years old are more likely to be involved in high-speed accidents
• 44% of 17-24 year-olds rate performance above safety, in contrast to just 16% of over-65s