£1.1 million a week spent on car journeys of less than half a mile

Despite the soaring cost of fuel, 11.4 million (30 per cent) motorists still use their car regularly to make journeys of less than half a mile, according to research from Santander Credit Cards.

These one-minute road-trips are costing UK motorists an estimated £1.1 million each week - a figure that is likely to rise significantly as fuel prices continue to spiral.

Santander estimates that drivers make around 58 million half-mile car journeys every year. Despite the financial and environmental impact of this, only 35 per cent of these ‘guilty trippers' admit to feeling guilty as a result.

Santander's findings suggest that many drivers would be willing to give up this luxury and ditch their car if public transport were more efficient. 32 per cent say they would use public transport more frequently if it was more convenient and reliable and 25 per cent of motorists would do so if it was less costly. One in 10 (9 per cent) also say that they are currently considering selling their car and buying a more economical one to compensate for fuel inflation.

Callum Gibson, Managing Director at Santander Cards, commented: "Despite soaring fuel costs, many motorists still give in to the temptation of using the car to make journeys that only take 10 - 15 minutes by foot. While people should try to reduce their car usage where possible because of the environmental impact, it is a vital resource for many people who are less able to get about or who live in rural areas, particularly as the evenings draw in and the weather gets colder.

"It's hard to escape the increasing cost of motoring, particularly for those who really do need a car to get them from A to B, which is why we offer 3 per cent cashback on fuel spend with our new 123 Cashback Credit Card. While it's advisable to limit the use of a car where possible, our cashback deal could help to save motorists more than £100 a year on fuel."

Around 79 per cent of those who do make car journeys of under 0.5 miles, which often take only a minute or two, say they do this between one and five times each week. A further 1.8 million drivers make between six and 15 trips of this distance every month - equivalent to as many as 780 trips each year. An additional 265,000 motorists, who appear to be immune to the rapidly increasing price of petrol, make more than 20 trips of less than half a mile each week.

Younger drivers are by far the biggest culprits, with 38 per cent of motorists aged 18-34 making these half mile guilty trips at least once a week.