Drivers travel 285,012 miles in their lifetime – the equivalent of driving around the world 11 times, survey reveals
MOTORISTS drive a whopping 285,012 miles in their lifetime - the equivalent of travelling around the world 11 times, a new survey has revealed.
Brit adults will cover around 87 miles across an average of 14 journeys every week - an annual total of 4,524 miles.
However, many are worried about the damage it's causing to the planet.
To offset the carbon from a lifetime of driving, 11,400 trees would need to be planted per motorist.
With life returning to normal, a third of workers plan to avoid public transport when they go back to their workplace and one in four - 25 per cent - will commute by car more now than they did pre-pandemic.
The study also found 56 per cent car owners relied on their vehicles more during the pandemic, with 27 per cent saying this was to avoid public transport and a further 24 per cent used them to check in on family and friends.
Three in 10 even purchased a new car amid the lockdowns.
CARS 'MORE IMPORTANT DURING PANDEMIC'
Furthermore, almost half - 49 per cent - of all journeys are solo, with no one else in the car, but 34 per cent would prefer to have a passenger with them going forward.
And a sixth simply prefer travelling to work in their own vehicle than the likes of buses, tubes and trains.
Greg Gormley, CEO of SKOOT, the only navigation app that plants trees for every drive, commissioned a study into driving habits.
He said: “The research demonstrates that driving is essential to our lives but it’s accelerating the carbon emission’s crisis.
“Auto-offsetting all journeys – even solo ones, using ones SKOOT’s green sat nav, helps by planting a free tree every drive.
“We can all help reduce congestion and carbon by sharing lifts more.
“Our new lift sharing technology encourages colleagues and friends to help each other and the planet.
'OFFER A LIFT TO CUT CARS ON THE ROAD'
“We could massively reduce the number of cars on the road tomorrow, if we all simply offered a lift to someone every other drive.”
The study also found that four in five - 82 per cent - don’t know how much carbon their vehicle emits.
A fifth admitted that lockdown has made them realise they want to drive, but don’t like the environmental impact it’s having and 73 per cent want to do their bit while still relying on their vehicle.
A further 39 per cent would like to reduce their carbon emissions from driving but don’t know how to.
More than a third believe offsetting or reducing their carbon footprint is the most important change in terms of helping the environment.
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Mark Stringer, chief marketing officer at SKOOT, said: “It’s great that people are becoming educated and more aware of their environmental impact.
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"People think automatically about recycling and water usage, and we want them to do the same about carbon emissions from driving.
“The new app feature does the hard work for drivers and alleviates the sense of guilt that motorists share offering a solution to help the environment in a fun, interactive and easy to use way.”