Around 1% of drivers have swapped penalty points with another motorist to avoid losing their licence, an AA/Populus survey has shown.

A total of 12% of the 16,961 AA members polled said they would report swap attempts to the police, while 13% knew someone who had swapped points.

Among professional and senior manager groups, the number who would report swap attempts fell to 11% but rose to 16% among skilled manual and service workers.

Among the unskilled, unemployed and those on state pensions, 20% would inform the authorities.

Regional differences show that nearly one in six drivers in Northern Ireland would report a request to take someone else's points, compared with around one in 10 in north-east England, London and Wales.

AA president Edmund King said: "Our poll suggests that the equivalent of 300,000 drivers have admitted that they have persuaded other drivers to take their penalty points. The poll also indicates that one in eight drivers might report someone to the police if they were asked to take their points.

"Some drivers don't seem to realise the serious nature of this offence. Often drivers will be charged with perverting the course of justice which typically results in a four to nine-month prison sentence or a large fine. The best advice is to stick to speed limits to avoid detection in the first place."