The number of cars on Britain’s roads falls for first time since World War II
The recession, car scrappage schemes and a sterner enforcement of laws against un-roadworthy and un-taxed vehicles has led to a decline in the number of cars on the UK’s roads for the first time since the Second World War.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have said that there were 31,035,791 vehicles on Britain’s highways at the end of 2009, which is a fall of 0.7 per cent compared with the previous 12 months.
The figures were based on data released by the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) and are signs of the impact that the recession has had on motorists, according to the SMMT.
Experts believe the decline could continue during 2010, as there has been fresh evidence of a fall in motoring due to the record fuel prices drivers have to pay.
Emeritus Professor at Cardiff Business School a leading expert on the motor industry, Garel Rhys said, “We have had the deepest recession since the war and incomes stopped growing for the first time in a very long time. In addition, because of the scrappage scheme, cars that would have remained in the market were taken out of circulation. In some cases, these cars would have been sold through small advertisements. Instead 400,000 have disappeared.”
The figures come at the end of a year that saw fuel duty increase as the UK government reacted to falling oil prices and the cost of motor insurance rise.
Stephen Glaister, Foundations Director at RAC was surprised at the figures saying, “This likely to be a blip rather than the start of a trend. The population is forecast to rocket by ten million in the next couple of decades and these people will need to get about. We know people are driving less on an individual basis and lifestyle changes might mean people working from home in the future, but with nine out of ten passenger journeys already being made on the roads population growth and economic recovery will almost inevitably mean more cars. The challenge is to make these vehicles greener and with average new car CO2 emissions steadily falling, that challenge is already being met.”
Meanwhile, Professor of International Business Strategy at Coventry University believes the fall in the number of cars on Britain’s roads is due to changes in family spending. He said, “I think we are seeing a shift in consumer habits with people thinking about the kind of car they have and families about how many vehicles they need.”
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