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Motoring news

Car use 'stabilising' says RAC Foundation report

20/04/2009

After decades of growth, motorists' use of their cars appears to have stabilised, according to new research commissioned by the RAC Foundation.

The report, compiled by academics at several UK universities, found that driving licence ownership has continued to increase in recent years, rising from 60% to 70% of the adult population between 1989 and 2006.

It also found that although the proportion of younger people holding licences appears to have fallen since the mid-1990s, the proportion of licensed drivers within older groups has increased rapidly.

And yet while more people own and drive cars than ever before, the report found that the average mileage per person has stayed about the same since 2002 - ending decades of growth. Some 46% of drivers add fewer than 5,000 miles to the clock each year.

The RAC Foundation warns that the Government should take into account the 'car reliance' outlined in the report when attempting to reduce congestion and tackle climate change.

"The car is here to stay. It is the bedrock of our society and our economy," said Professor Stephen Glaister, the charity's director.

"It has democratised this country. There is no question of getting rid of cars. Instead we must change the type of cars we use - smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient models with less cradle-to-grave CO2 emissions," he said.

However, some argue that the report's defence of the car is unwarranted.

"Once again Professor Glaister and the RAC Foundation have managed to answer a question that no one is actually asking," said Richard George of the Campaign for Better Transport.

"There is no suggestion that cars should be done away with entirely, but there are plenty of questions about how to tackle the ever-rising levels of traffic, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that result from the over-dependence on private car use that his report so aptly demonstrates."