Female motorists lead the way in driving to save the planet

Cars are the second biggest cause of global warming - but, for many of us, it is not practical to live without a car.

However, according to a new survey by The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show, it seems that UK drivers are tackling this problem head on – especially women. The research asked 1,000 UK car-owners their views on their cars, insurance and travel habits to determine if drivers are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints or are carrying on regardless.

Encouragingly, almost two-thirds of drivers would buy a car with a smaller engine to reduce their carbon footprint (59 per cent) - with more women (63 per cent) than men opting for a greener drive (54 per cent). Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of motorists aged between 25-34 are more conscious when it comes to ‘greener driving’ - with five in ten (51 per cent) of younger motorists under the age of 24 surprisingly unconcerned about their carbon footprint.

The poll also revealed that the average Briton will fill up their petrol tank a little less than once a week (43 times per year), with men using more petrol than women - filling up 46 times a year, as opposed to 41 times for women. The young are by far the biggest gas-guzzlers with 16-24 year olds filling up an average of 70 times a year, which is one-and-a-half times the national average.

David Neave, Director of General Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance said - “It is encouraging to see that more and more people are changing their attitudes towards greener driving and are looking at vehicles with smaller engine sizes in a bid reduce their carbon footprint. The Co-operative Insurance is a firm believer that every person – male and female - can make a ‘tiny difference’ to climate change.

"There is now firm evidence that suggests that motor vehicle emissions are having a detrimental impact on the environment. The combination of more ‘greener’ cars being manufactured and the wider development of unique eco motor insurance products like our own, allows drivers to do just that.”

In order to encourage even more people to adopt a ‘green driving’ ethos, The Co-operative Insurance has teamed-up with the Eden Project to stage the Sexy Green Car Show. The aim is to give motorists who want to go ‘green’ a better understanding of UK government schemes - such as the new 'fridge-type' efficiency labels on cars, tax bands on emissions and variable congestion charges.

The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show is now in its second year and 2008 will see more vehicles on display - testing their green credentials at what is normally a car-free zone.

Among other major manufacturers showing off their latest low-emission cars will be Citroën, Honda, Peugeot, Saab, Fiat and Volkswagen.

For more information on visiting this year’s The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show - which will run from May 23-31 at the home of the world’s biggest plant Biomes, Eden, near St Austell in Cornwall - Click Here - or Tel: +44 (0)1726 811 911.