More space on the road these days?
The number of cars on the roads in the UK has fallen, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
For the first time in over 60 years there are 220,000 less cars on the network than last year. It's the only time since the Second World War when there hasn't been a year-on-year increase in the number of cars.
People looking to sell a car for cash through the scrappage scheme have been a big factor, according to Auto Express, which accounted for 20 per cent of new car sales in 2009. It's thought that the cars traded through this scheme would have otherwise been sold to used car buyers, rather than scrapped.
SMMT boss Paul Everitt said there was another reason behind the decrease: “Tough enforcement has helped remove unlicensed vehicles from UK roads,” he said.
A survey by the AA revealed that motorists are using their cars less because high fuel costs have forced them to cut journeys. People tend to be diverting money from maintaining their cars to maintaining their households. With petrol prices at a record high, reaching an average of £1.20 per litre, the AA has called it "a dark day for motorists" and many people predict there might be even fewer cars on the road by the end of 2010.
However, Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, believes this is a blip rather than a trend: "The population is forecast to rocket by 10 million in the next couple of decades and these people will need to get about," he said.
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