In stark contrast to the recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which said that car ownership was a luxury, major consumer research by a leading personal insurance provider has found that the British are, in fact, ‘very’ dependent on their cars.
The study, conducted on behalf of FirstAssist Insurance Services, was designed to find out just how dependent the British are on their cars.
The results showed that 44% said they use their car every day, 17% use their car 5 times a week while 16% said they use it 2 or 3 times a week.
The impact if drivers were unable to use their car was significant. 39% said they would be unable to support children for school trips and other family members, including those providing care support for disabled or elderly relatives. 23% thought they would either lose their job or would have to change jobs because they would be unable to commute. The financial impact of losing use of their car was also notable with 33% saying they would either use up their savings or be unable to save because of the extra expense of finding alternative methods of transport. However, perceptions of how much it would cost to use other transport were relatively conservative. 45% thought it would cost them under £50 per week to carry on their social, personal and 20 % slightly more realistic anticipating it would cost them between £50 and £100 per week.
FirstAssist research sadly shows that this would barely cover basic commuting expenses, let alone family care, school runs, shopping, social trips, etc.
It really comes as no surprise why we love our cars for what is the alternative?
Jackie Violet – Female First