The latest data published by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has revealed the considerable number of people being convicted of careless driving offences across the UK.

Following a freedom of information request sent to every police force across England and Wales, the IAM has highlighted the more than 17,000 convictions that have taken place across the country over the last two years.

Essex was shown to be the area with largest number of convictions of the 24-month period (3,630 in all), followed by Humberside (1,998) and Nottinghamshire (1,139).

IAM chief executive officer Sarah Sillars said: "While these offences fall under the lower end of the scale for motoring transgressions, such driving behaviour could easily have caused a serious accident.

"Tailgating is an aggressive action designed to intimidate another driver, while unpredictable lane-changing is both thoughtless and dangerous."

Ms Sillars added that the introduction of on-the-spot fines for this offence has served to impact offender numbers in recent years, but more still needs to be done to address this problem once and for all.

A more detailed breakdown of the data by the IAM revealed the shocking behaviour that some drivers continue to demonstrate, including 32 cases of motorists driving on the wrong side of the road and 13 cases of individuals traversing a roundabout in the wrong direction.

Anyone found guilty of the offence of driving without due care and attention can expect to receive between three and nine points on their licence, as well as an on-the-spot fine of £100, rising to up to £5,000 should their case go to court.