|
Being in the know
Despite high-profile government advertising campaigns and a vehicle excise duty now based on emissions, 65 per cent of British drivers ‘don’t have a clue’ how much CO2 is being produced by the car they drive
Depending on where you live, it may surprise you to learn that the environmentally least-well-informed drivers are in the south, and particularly London, with 67 per cent and 68 per cent respectively not having any idea how much CO2 is being emitted by their car. Drivers in other areas of Britain do only marginally better; 56 per cent of drivers in Scotland have no idea how much CO2 their car produces. The figure rises to 64 per cent in the north of England.
It seems that the debate about emissions and climate change moves on, but the results of our survey show it may be leaving people behind - awareness of the CO2 produced by cars is incredibly low. A large proportion of people are aware that cars pollute, but may not know how to take the first step towards more environmentally-friendly driving - which is where the Environmental Transport Association steps in.
In the late 1980s, a group of people from diverse backgrounds came together to form a new organisation, which would provide an ethical alternative to the AA and the RAC.
The Environmental Transport Association was the fourth organisation of its type. The first, VCS/ATE, came out of Switzerland in 1979 and had a terrific growth rate: 10,000 members a year for the first 10 years. Their emphasis was on environmental campaigning as well as providing an alternative breakdown service for members of the public. The second, VCD, appeared in Germany in 1986 and it is the closest in similarity to the ETA. The third, VCÖ, was created in Austria in 1988. This organisation chose to concentrate mainly on research and became a highly respected in this area.
In 1987 Chris Bowers - who was to become the ETA’s first director - travelled to Switzerland to work. While there he needed breakdown cover for his car and discovered VCS. He was impressed by this pro-environment organisation and wrote an article for the magazine of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, about VCS, called ‘Motoring Greenpeace’. Research showed that not only was it possible to provide services to rival the AA or the RAC from scratch, but also that there were sufficient people willing and able to join such a pro-environmental motoring organisation. On the basis of this the WWF made a loan to enable the launch of the new organisation.
In 1990, Andrew Davis - the ETA's current director - helped officially launch the ETA at a press conference at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The ETA at that time was able to provide Roadrescue, and Cycle, Motor, Travel, Legal, and Personal Accident Insurance. Andrew became the first member on day one, and was joined by another thousand in the first few weeks.
The ETA now exists as the world’s only climate-neutral motoring organisation and provides approximately 15,000 motorists, including many corporate fleet customers, with breakdown cover and a host of other services. Our record of fixing 80 per cent of cars by the roadside with an average waiting time of 35 minutes makes our service attractive by any standards - we have built a business around offering peace of mind to those who want their cars fixed quickly and work to save the environment.
We recently launched an industry first - the first car insurance to automatically offset the CO2 produced by a year’s driving. The CO2 is neutralised or ‘offset’ by funding projects such as planting rainforests or providing energy-saving light bulbs to small communities in the developing world. Driving an ordinary saloon car for 8,000 miles over a year produces an average of 2.3 tons of CO2 - that’s equivalent to cutting down 12 mature trees a year. We fund the planting of new trees or other similar environment-saving projects for each of our products purchased. It is widely accepted that global warming is caused by the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This acts like a huge duvet, trapping the heat from the sun, slowly raising the temperature of the Earth’s climate. Carbon emissions from modern transport play a significant role in adding to global warming in the western world.
Given these facts, why so much ignorance about the amount of CO2 produced by cars?
Another key finding of the survey is that 33 per cent of drivers in London do not feel that their car produces an unreasonable amount of pollution, a figure which drops to 25 per cent in Wales, the Midlands and the north. Only 5 per cent of British drivers are able to say precisely how much CO2 the car they drive produces, and 11 per cent have only a rough idea. Roughly one in ten knows which emissions-based VED band applies to their vehicle.
Other findings in the survey include:
* 16 per cent of British men who drive are ‘not worried too much’ by the fact their cars pollute, compared with 6 per cent of British women
* Younger drivers appear to be more aware of the pollution caused by cars. 36 per cent of drivers aged 55 and over feel that their cars do not produce an unreasonable amount of pollution, a figure which drops to 19 per among drivers aged 18-24
* 37 per cent of British drivers are aware of the fact their car pollutes, but don’t feel there is a practical alternative to the driving they do
* 12 per cent of drivers in London are aware of the fact their car pollutes, but feel a reduction in their own driving will make little difference. This figure drops to seven per cent in Wales and the Midlands and four per cent in Scotland.
So what do the results of our survey mean for those working in the trade? There is no doubt that people are concerned about the environment - 37 per cent of British drivers acknowledge their cars pollute but don’t see an alternative to the driving they do. Our experience is that people like to help - they feel they can make a positive difference by buying products and dealing with companies that are environmentally friendly.
|
RECEPTION
Press Office
LOGIN
Print this page
Make this your homepage
Site map
Help
Top of page