Intranetics Motoring News Service

More Brits on the roads

31st August 2007 | BACK     PRINT

The modern generation is characterised by the way in which Britons seem to be increasingly time poor and cash rich. Whereas just a few short years ago a cup of tea in front of the sofa was the norm, there is now a coffee shop on every street corner, selling instant caffeine to Britons far too busy to make their own.

It is perhaps no surprise then to see recent Department for Transport (DfT) figures, which reveal a rise in the proportion of UK households that have access to a car. The data indicates that in 2006, 75 per cent of homes have a vehicle, compared with 70 per cent between 1995 and 1997. And in the same period, the number of walking journeys made has tumbled by 15 per cent.

Furthermore, in line with this trend, the number of bus trips taken outside London fell by eight per cent as Britons increasingly shun public transport. However, within the capital a 23 per cent rise was recorded - potentially partly boosted by the controversial congestion charges brought in by mayor of London Ken Livingstone.

Additionally it seems that although the message about climate change may be getting through to some Britons, a full one quarter of all car journeys made were under two miles long - a distance that could be walked or cycled without too much effort for most able-bodied Brits. More youngsters are being driven to school too, with a rise from 38 per cent to 41 per cent, although this could have been at least partly precipitated by the recent media attention devoted to the safety of youngsters in Britain.

The DfT commented: "The 2006 National Travel Survey is the latest in a series of household surveys designed to provide a databank of personal travel information for Great Britain.

"During 2006, nearly 8,300 households provided details of their personal travel by filling in travel diaries over a period of a week, compared with nearly 3,500 households in 2001.

"The survey is designed to pick up long term-trends and is not suitable for monitoring short-term trends."

With the increasingly length of time that people spend on the roads, it's worth remembering that the roads are still a dangerous place for the unwary and incautious. DfT statistics show that 3,201 people lost their lives while travelling in 2005, with total casualty numbers for the year standing at 271,017.

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