Although the UK may be a nation of keen recyclers, it seems there is still some way to go when it comes to encouraging people to be eco-friendly with their driving.
New research from Europcar shows the country may be lagging behind its European counterparts when it comes to adopting greener driving methods.
The annual Europcar Observatory study revealed that 54 per cent of Europeans have changed the way they drive out of respect for the environment, compared to just 45 per cent of people in the UK.
Catriona Lougher, marketing director for Europcar, noted how people are keen to turn down the thermostat or change to low-voltage lightbulbs, but these attitudes are not transferred to motoring habits.
"A lot of this comes down to the fact that the car is still a status symbol and whilst we are happy to find ways to cut motoring costs, the environmental benefits of easing off the pedal or using the car less are secondary for most UK motorists," she suggested.
Of those questioned, people under the age of 35 seemed to be most accepting of green driving practises, as over half of this demographic said they would give up their vehicle and opt for a car share instead.
Although some age groups may be coming round to the idea of greener driving, switching to a different fuel seems to be less appealing.
Nearly half (45 per cent) of the survey's respondents said they would be happy to drive differently to be greener in their motoring habits, although many are not willing to consider a car which uses an alternative fuel.
Half of those polled said they would consider it compared to 65 per cent of motorists on the continent, Europcar revealed.
This may cause problems for the government's proposed roll out of electric cars, which was given support in last week's pre-Budget report.
With incentives to be offered to businesses which encourage greener driving among their employees, it may be more difficult than anticipated to get people to change their driving habits.
Electric cars will be exempt from car tax for the next five years under proposals introduced by chancellor Alistair Darling, while £30 million was also allocated to developing low-carbon transport.
Europcar suggested that car hire services are playing an important role in combating the effects of motoring on the planet, as those who rent cars generally have a positive attitude towards the environment.
Nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of those who used hire cars said they would give it up if they felt it had too big an impact on the environment.
Some experts believe motorists could already be doing their bit for carbon reduction without even realising it.
Statistics released by Cambridge Econometrics earlier this year showed that the recession will help cut UK carbon emissions by around seven per cent between 2008 and 2010 as people assess whether they really need to use their vehicles for short journeys.
Despite this reduction, the study identified that the government's goal of a 20 per cent carbon reduction by 2010 is still likely to be missed.
With Europcar identifying that people need to change their attitudes towards green driving and the government doing what it can to encourage this, there currently seems to be little excuse for people not to change their motoring methods.
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