Is the cost of commuting getting too much?
1 in 6 people have considered quitting their job because the increasing cost of fuel prices means that their daily commute to work is costing too much.
Insurance.co.uk recently surveyed Brits and worryingly found that 16 per cent of people really are struggling to cope with rising fuel costs and would consider such drastic action to cut costs.
25 per cent of people surveyed have chosen to leave their car at home and try public transport and 19 per cent are looking to car share with others.
Fuel prices have risen by 21 per cent over the last 12 months and experts are predicting further increases over the coming weeks.
I’ve heard reports today that a strike by tanker drivers could cause a fuel shortage in some parts of the country but reports like this do not paint an accurate picture and half the time media reporting like this ends up causing panic buying. The actual figure is 1 in 10 petrol stations MAY have a shortage of fuel.
As for public transport most of the time I think you’re better off in a car. It depends where you live, in terms of proximity to a train station and then where you’re trying to get to. Some train journey’s I’ve researched take almost twice as long as the same journey by car! Ticket prices can be high especially if, like everyone who’s commuting, you need to travel in peak hours. If I had the choice it would be a car share scheme for me. I’ve just done a very quick peice of research and found this website offering you the ability to check for car share schemes in your local area, good idea! http://carshare.com/default.asp?region=6#carsharesites
People are also dreaming up more cost cutting methods when it comes to the car - 10 per cent are thinking about not driving their children to school, 15 per cent are thinking about down grading their car, 36 per cent are thinking about purchasing a car with better MPG, and unfortunately 51 per cent of people are considering cutting the amount they’d spend on servcing and MOT’ing their cars.
Head of insurance.co.uk, Steve Grainger, said: “The rising cost of fuel is taking its toll on British drivers in more ways than one. Our research highlights the enormous pressure being put on commuters and the wider economic consequences that may lie just around the corner.”
“In the current climate, it’s more important than ever that motorists take stock of their finances and realise the savings that could be made by shopping around for insurance cover“.
Of course you should also consider shopping around for car insurance online, make sure you take a few minutes to get the car insurance quotes online using one of the comparison web sites like Gocompare.com, insurance.co.uk, Moneysupermarket.com - there are plenty to choose from!