Playing racing video games makes people worse drivers while giving them an inflated sense of their motoring ability, a new survey has found.

A poll of 1,250 motorists revealed that people who played popular games such as Need For Speed and Forza everyday had more accidents and speeding convictions than other drivers.

The research also found that more than a fifth of drivers admitted to attempting moves from racing games on real-life roads.

The findings prompted condemnation from the road safety charity Brake, which warned such behaviour could have lethal consequences.

A spokesman for the charity said: “Those drivers who admitted trying dangerous moves from video games whilst actually driving are taking risks with their fellow road users lives.

“Any driver tempted to try a move from a video game when actually behind the wheel needs to know that in reality their actions can have serious consequences.

“There is absolutely no justification for any driver trying these dangerous moves on our roads, putting people’s lives in danger.”

The survey, carried out by Censuswide for the car site Carwow, found that people who played driving games everyday rated their actual driving skills as 8.7 out of 10 compared to 7.84 for all drivers.