What is said to be the rising car travel costs is forcing changes in buying and drinking habits in Great Britain, if you can believe MoneySupermarket.com. One third of right-hand drive motorists could not live without their car as costs rise, says the web comparison-shopping site.
Moreover, 70% of motorists would make cutbacks of some sort to keep their beloved or cursed car on the road. These cost cuts allegedly include spending less on clothes and shoes (34%) reducing the amount they spend on their social life (33%), buying less alcohol and cigarettes (28%), going to the pub less often (26%), and reducing their spend on holiday breaks (26%).
The research also found 31% of drivers would find life “tricky” without a car, and more than half of motorists (53%) think a car is an extension of its owner’s personality, no surprise here for industry marketing execs.
“The cost of motoring is an increasingly hot topic, and with the price of fuel recently hitting record highs, it continues to put additional pressures on household finances,” said Pete Harrison, a car insurance adviser at MoneySupermarket.com. “It’s no surprise whatsoever Brits are making cutbacks to keep their cars on the road – many drivers, especially in rural areas, depend heavily on their cars on a daily basis to get them from A to B, and if the cost of motoring continues to rise as we have seen previously, these cutbacks may become a very significant reality.”
