Go Back

Economic Growth Having an Impact on Driving

Posted: Thursday, 27 August 2015

The slow but steady economic growth we have enjoyed in Britain is having a very definite effect on driving. Moreover, we're not just talking about driving licence issues. We are also talking about the amount of time people spend stuck in traffic. In that regard, the growing economy is a double-edged sword.

Recently released numbers indicate that the average Briton spent about 30 hours stuck in traffic in 2014. It doesn't seem much compared to Belgium, where the average driver sat in traffic for nearly 51 hours last year. However, the increase between 2013 and 2014 was enough to move Britain into fifth place among European countries. Experts say much of this has to do with the improved economy.

Our economy grew at 2.8% last year – double the European average of 1.4% and the fastest rate of growth we have seen in nearly ten years. And with all of that economic growth comes increased driving for both business and pleasure. Businesses are putting more drivers on the road while individuals are using their cars for holidays, day trips, and other forms of pleasure driving.

One last factor to consider is the fact that economic growth tends to coincide with population growth. Simply put, people want to live where the jobs are. Britain added roughly 491,000 new residents last year, pushing us to another record. Population growth in London accounted for nearly a quarter of it. It is not surprising that Londoners spent some 96 hours stuck in traffic last year.

With Traffic Comes Accidents

What does all this have to do with you and your business? One word: accidents. We trust your company is already doing everything it can to ensure only qualified and licenced drivers are operating company vehicles. We trust you already routinely check driving licences as well. Even at that, you cannot control what other drivers are doing on the road. Accidents will happen. Therefore, it's more important than ever to make sure you have good drivers working for you.

Fleet Licence Check can help by providing the licence checking services you need. We have direct access to the DVLA database, enabling us to return licence checks that cover a long list of important data including endorsements, suspensions and revocations, penalty points, etc. Everything you need to know about your drivers is at your fingertips with Fleet Licence Check.

Source: Fleet News UK