14 Mar 2008 02:10:56 | Alexandra Gubbins
Around 60% of drivers of the 31 million cars on Britain's roads
travel alone, and with the number increasing every year, the
idea of car sharing as an option is being promoted by County
Councils as well as Friends of the Earth and Carplus.
Car sharing, also known as carpooling, is when two or more
people travel together by car, and the passenger generally makes
a donation towards running costs. There are a number of
organisations, such as www.liftshare.co.uk, that enable people
living in the same area who make similar journeys to make
contact with each other, encouraging more participation in lift
sharing.
The number of people taking part in car sharing arrangements is
relatively small but increasing, and supporters of car sharing
initiatives hope that this will become a much more popular way
of travelling in the future. Why car share? - Car sharing
reduces your travel costs. By car sharing for a year, the
average driver would save £1000 on fuel and parking costs. If
car sharers alternate with whose turn it is to drive, the amount
of wear and tear that happens to both cars is halved and the
cars will better keep their value. - Car sharing reduces
emissions. Sharing a car with 1 other person would save 648 kg
of carbon dioxide emissions a year, and if half the drivers of
the UK shared a lift just once a week, pollution would be
reduced by 10%. Emissions are a serious problem for both people
and the environment.
90% of the population in London is caused by cars, and the cost
of that pollution in human lives is high, with estimates
suggesting that more people die from pollution than from car
accidents. 70% of asthma sufferers believe that pollution makes
their condition worse, and with 5.1 million asthmatics in the
UK, anything that can be done to reduce emissions should be
encouraged. - Car sharing reduces congestion and parking
problems. There are massive congestion problems on Britain's
motorways and in and around many towns and cities across the UK,
and car sharing would help alleviate the situation. Congestion
costs British businesses a staggering £15 billion every year in
lost work hours, and parking presents a problem for many
employers.
If the average car occupancy were to increase by half - from
1.58 people per car to 2.37 people per car - there would be a
third fewer cars on the roads. Many employers who encourage car
sharing have found that their car parking problem has
disappeared with their employees coming to work in one car
rather than three.
- Car sharing increases transport options for rural areas. Rural
areas often have little or no access to public transport and it
can be very difficult for people without cars to get around. Car
sharing would provide options for these people, who may be able
to share a journey with someone in their neighbourhood.
There have been taxi-sharing initiatives arranged in some
villages, which have had some success, but have yet to widely
catch on.
- Car sharing is a good way to meet new people. It often works
best in situations such as travelling to and from work or doing
the school run where there are lots of people entering and
leaving the area at the same time. People can get to know
colleagues that they would not otherwise have met, as well as
neighbours and other people who live nearby.
- Car sharing can reduce car insurance. If two people alternate
who drives and who is a passenger, they can both get cheaper car
insurance because they will be doing fewer miles a year.
The reason for this is that, although the car occupants are just
as likely to be in a car accident, both cars are less likely to
be involved in an accident if they are being driven less. Thus,
car insurance companies appreciate this lower risk and lower
their prices appropriately.
Car sharing is good for health, money and the environment, and
is a good way to meet more neighbours. Trials of new lanes just
for car sharers are being introduced on motorways such as the
M1, as similar principles have been successfully applied in
America and Australia, so car sharing could get people to work
quicker too.
- ends -
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