10/02/2006  British drivers are concreting over their front lawns to make room for their ever-increasing collection of cars, according to research out today from Direct Line. Close to nine in 10 (85 per cent) households own a car with four in 10 (40 per cent) now owning two or more cars. This coupled with 40% of motorists complaining of limited street parking in their area, has caused one in five (17 per cent) space-starved car-owners* to turn their front gardens into concrete drives. The cost of on-street parking is also driving motorists to pave over their gardens – over one million** UK drivers pay on average of £439 per year for the privilege of parking outside their home - be it for parking permits or garage rental.  So desperate are drivers becoming for parking spaces that close to one in six (14 per cent) have moved home specifically to gain a garage or drive.  The cost of paving over a garden doesn’t come cheap with research showing car-owners spend on average £1,300 on turning their gardens into drives – with one in 10 (11 per cent) spending more than £3,000.

Taxi the Kids
** Based on estimated average fare of a 12-mile journey in a licensed black Hackney carriage , Dial-a-Cab, 2006. Nearly half of all trips that parents make ferrying around their kids also include other people’s children. Three quarters of parents (76%) would ‘never consider’ asking for any petrol money, regardless of the mileage involved. Read more...

Summer footwear craze
Always wear suitable clothing, particularly shoes. "Wear sensible clothing for driving, especially on a long journey. 05 August 2005 Despite being a universal fashion essential over the hot summer months, flip-flops are one of the most hazardous items of footwear for driving, according to research from Norwich Union Motor Insurance. Read more...

40th Anniversary
In research to mark the 40th anniversary of motorway speed restrictions (on November 24th 1965), Privilege found that not only have over three quarters of drivers (76 per cent) broken the speed limit at some point in their lives, but that they have a startling lack of knowledge of the limits that apply on Britain’s roads.   Over a third (37 per cent) of drivers were unaware of the limit for cars and motorbikes on a single lane carriageway in non built-up areas (60 mph). Read more...

The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line motor insurance by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 2,037 GB adults were questioned online between 6th to 10th January 2006. *According to the findings 85 per cent of households are car-owners. 45 per cent own one car, 31 per cent own two cars, seven per cent own three cars and two per cent own four cars. 15 per cent of households do not own any cars. **There are 33.8 million drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov findings four per cent of motorists have to pay for parking outside their property. 0.04 x 33,809,493 = 1,352,380 ***According to the findings 86 per cent of households in the UK have spent on average £7,819 on their cheapest car. The findings also revealed that UK households own on average 1.6 cars. £7,819 x 1.6 cars = £12,510.4. DirectLine Insurance -