Car drivers shouldn’t have to fill the UK’s financial black hole

After the Labour party conference in September, I wrote about the disappointment of drivers having been completely neglected in the transport secretary’s speech. Let’s hope it won’t be a case of being careful what you wish for when the finance department has its say at the end of this month, in the Autumn Budget. 

That’s why Auto Express has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on behalf of the UK’s population of frustrated and beleaguered drivers, demanding action in key areas that are causing pain for people whose cars are an essential part of their daily lives. 

The cost of living crisis may be easing in some areas, but there’s little evidence of it when you look at the spending involved in running a car. Our research has shown that 78 per cent of households who rely daily on their cars and vans are frustrated and angry over hikes to the cost of motoring.

Latest figures reveal that over half a million drivers have needed roadside assistance after hitting a pothole so far this year. This is a hugely embarrassing failure in basic road maintenance and duty of care to drivers, who expect roads to be safe enough to use without fear of a journey-ending incident. 

And then there’s the apparent decriminalisation of car crime and the abysmal 2 per cent of charges being brought following car thefts. Drivers shouldn’t have to accept this as ‘something that just happens’. 

All the noises since the election about the state of the country’s finances might be building towards a painful budget, but we’re urging the Chancellor not to make the mistake of seeing drivers as an easy way to start filling the black hole. Talk of ending what has become a long-term pause on fuel duty, for example, would be a great way to drive a coach and horses (which might be cheaper to run than a car at this rate) straight through an election promise not to raise taxes for working people. 

Targeting drivers – for most of whom a car is an essential part of daily life – would have the potential for short-term gain at the expense of any trust in this Government’s ability to do the right thing on behalf of the people it’s supposed to be working for. 

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