Green motoring in the UK plunged according to survey

An independent annual survey by Europcar Observatory that covers seven countries in Europe reveals that Britons are behind in terms of green driving compared to their other European neighbours. The research also stated that the UK’s car manufacturers and government fail to make the needed impact when it comes to environment and motoring.

Only 45 per cent of Britons said that they have changed their way of driving in an effort to save the environment, much lower compared to the average 54 per cent rate on other surveyed European countries.

In addition, it is believed that the green driving message has the biggest impact to drivers under the age of 35. In the survey, more than half of the drivers under this age bracket said that they are eager to sacrifice their car, with 60 per cent of them are keen to car share as an alternative.

The other 45 per cent of the respondents said that they are happy in driving differently to be green, though they are still not ready to give up their gas-fuelled vehicles. Just half of the surveyed Britons consider buying an eco-friendly car, compared to 65 per cent of drivers in other parts of Europe.

Moreover, barely 18 per cent of Britons have ever used an alternative-fuelled vehicle, compared to over 30 per cent in other European countries.

Europcar’s marketing director, Catriona Lougher, commented about the survey, saying that typical UK households are doing their part to lessen carbon footprint by recycling, shifting to energy-efficient light bulbs and turning down the thermostat. However when it comes to cars, keeping the green message is still a challenging task for most Britons.