Divers urged to take up car sharing and cut the cost of motoring

On National Lift Share day this Wednesday (June 14th), research out today from Halifax Car Insurance estimates there will be over 10 million cars on Britain's rush-hour roads with no passengers, resulting in over 38 million empty car seats.

Halifax's 'empty seats' poll shows that for all drivers who use their car to travel to work, currently only one in five of them currently car share. This is despite the fact that over two thirds think that car sharing is a good idea, which would mean there is an untapped potential for 7 million drivers to share their journeys while commuting.

The survey also reveals that the average annual cost for one driver travelling to work alone is £1017 in the UK.

Sharing the journey with a friend, neighbour or work colleague could potentially halve this while simultaneously helping the environment and reducing congestion on clogged rush hour roads. Interestingly drivers in the Southeast own the biggest cars, but are least concerned about cost, congestion or the environment with only 16% expressing concern about by-products of Britain's empty car culture.

The poll goes on to highlight people's attitudes towards car sharing:

The survey reveals that younger drivers are the most likely to car share. Cost conscious 25-34 year olds lead the way in their attitudes to car sharing, but it is the 18-24 year olds who take the lead when it comes to putting it into practice.

For every 100 commuters driving to work aged 18-24, there are 30 passengers, but for those aged 55-64 there is only one passenger for every 100 commuter cars and overall, car sharing dramatically decreases with age.

The primary reason that older passengers are reluctant to car share is because cost is no longer an issue.

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk & Underwriting at Halifax Car Insurance, said: "More and more people are driving to work every day and with an increasing number of vehicles on the roads causing jams, as well as increasing petrol and parking costs, it can be a stressful journey. Passengers in the car not only improve your environmental credentials, they can also act as an extra pair of eyes for you, especially in the morning rush hour when traffic is at its heaviest. Insurance wise, you can carry passengers in return for a mileage payment as long as there is no element of profit."