Industry News
Survey: 13.2m UK drivers would not consider cutting car use to cut emissions
13th October 2006
Only 59% of motorists would be prepared to give up their cars for just a part of one day a week in order to help reduce greenhouse gases according to research published today by swiftcover.com, the online insurer. This leaves 13.2 million drivers that wouldn’t give up their car to help the environment.
Swiftcover.com suggests that the findings of the research into drivers’ attitudes “strongly suggest the government’s strategy of using fiscal measures to encourage motorists to cut their car use is misdirected”.
Over 27% of respondents said they would not drive their car less even if their overall motoring costs doubled. Petrol prices at double their current level would not deter most either - half of all drivers (57%) reported this still would not encourage them to drive less.
However, of the four in ten (43%) motorists who would reduce their car use as a result of a dramatic petrol price increase, the average driver would only cut out one in four of their car journeys. Nationally, the survey’s authors estimate this would reduce the amount of greenhouses gases emitted by the UK by just 0.01%.
The research also found:
- 63% of drivers would not drive their car less if a congestion charge were introduced in their area.
- A cost per mile tax would be the most effective measure in encouraging motorists’ to drive their car less - the average driver says they would travel 35 miles a week less by car if a levy for every mile driven was introduced. In reality however, this is just half of the average distance travelled by car per week per person.
- 97% of the UK’s drivers say they would consider buying a ‘green’ car, although three quarters of drivers would only do so if it were cheaper to buy (73%) and cheaper to run than their current car (70%).
- 67% of motorists would switch to an alternative-fuel car if the necessary re-fuelling and recharging stations were more widely available.
- Swiftcover.com has introduced a 10% insurance cover discount for people who drive hybrid cars.
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