One in ten motorists in the UK believe texting while driving is within the law.
Many British drivers still believe sending text messages from behind the wheel is legal, a new study has revealed.
According to research by the RAC, 12 per cent of motorists are unaware that texting while driving is illegal.
The study found that a large number of road users are unfamiliar with various other restrictions regarding the use of mobile phones inside a car.
For instance, 21 per cent said they believed that checking social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook while driving was legal.
In addition, 61 per cent of respondents admitted they were unaware that texting at the wheel of a stationary vehicle with the engine running was against the law.
Meanwhile, more than half said it is not dangerous to use a mobile phone while they are waiting at traffic lights or stuck in traffic.
David Bizley, technical director of the RAC, expressed concern at the findings, telling BBC News that the lack of awareness of the law among British drivers is "frightening".
He was particularly critical of those who believe it is acceptable to use a handset when a vehicle is stationary, saying they are failing to consider that this can still be highly dangerous.
"They forget that when concentrating on their phone, a cyclist may pull up beside or just ahead of them and they may pull away, totally unaware of the cyclist's presence," Mr Bizley commented.
However, he suggested that many motorists in the UK could be deliberately flouting the law, rather than acting out of ignorance.
Figures showed that 42 per cent of drivers believe they are not likely to be caught sending a text message while driving.
Furthermore, three-quarters said they have seen other people using mobile phones at the wheel of a car, even though less than one in ten admitted to doing the same.
More than one in three respondents added that they are concerned about other road users being distracted by their mobiles when they are driving.