Number of cars in the UK falls for first time since 1946
The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders has this weekend revealed a surprise fall in the number of vehicles on UK roads. It is believed that there were 220,000 fewer cars on the road in 2009 compared to 2008 which is the first drop since 1946. Even after the 0.7% fall in the number of cars this still equates to just over 31 million vehicles on the road in 2009, although there are a number of reasons why we have seen a drop.
It would appear that a mixture of cost-cutting during the recession, the UK government's car scrappage scheme, improved policing of unregistered and unlicensed vehicles and a crackdown by insurance companies have come together to cause a significant fall. However, those who have been waiting for a reduction in car numbers in the UK may be celebrating too early with reports that new car sales in March 2010 were up by 26.6% compared to the corresponding period in 2009.
It has long been known that UK motorists are something of a cash cow for governments of the day with massive tax income from fuel, road tax and other vehicle charges all benefiting the government coffers significantly. The recent car scrapping scheme has effectively taken a number of older vehicles off the road only to make space for new vehicles which are more efficient and more environmentally friendly and upon which the government received a significant tax windfall!
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