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17/02/2010
The total distance travelled by Britons has risen fourfold since 1952, to reach 817 billion passenger kilometres (508 billion miles) in 2007.
And during the same period, car, van and taxi use grew from 27% of the total to account for 84% - mirroring the general decline of bus, coach, and rail travel.
The figures, which chart the growing importance of the car, are contained within the latest Government report on social trends, published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics.
It also highlights a massive decrease in the number of households without access to a car, from 86% in 1951 down to just 22% in 2008. Meanwhile, those with access to two cars - almost unheard of in 50s Britain - increased from 1% to 27% over the same period.
The report also reveals a steady rise in the proportion of children travelling to school by car. In the period 1989-1991, this stood at 27% of primary school-aged children and 14% of those aged 11-16, but by 2008 it had risen to 43% of primary school children, and 21% of older children.
The report corroborates a recent Parliamentary reply by Sadiq Khan, in which the transport minister outlined the falling cost of car ownership in real terms. However, its more detailed figures reveal that while the overall cost of vehicle ownership has fallen from an inflation-adjusted £67.90 per week in 1998/99 to £63.70 in 2008, this is largely due to a large fall in the price to buy cars, vans and motorcycles - from £31.10 to £21.10 over the same period.
Weekly costs for 'repairs, servicing, spares and accessories' edged up from £8.20 to £8.60, while those for insurance and taxation increased from £9.10 to £10.70. Meanwhile, the cost of fuel and oil rose from £17.00 to £21.00.
Commenting on an upward trend in the size of car engines, AA president Edmund King said that this was partly explained by a greater proportion of diesel engines, which tend to have a larger displacement but greater efficiency than their petrol equivalents.
"Big is not always bad," he added.
"The two-litre car today is much cleaner, greener and safer than its decade-old predecessor."
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