It looks as though people are starting to ditch their big, expensive-to-run cars in favor of smaller, cheaper, and more efficient vehicles. The recession is hitting hard, but there could be one big winner – the environment.

The credit crunch has been with us a while now, with more and more people being dragged in and having to watch what they spend their pennies on. As people tighten their belts, consumer spending drops, and expensive goods such as cars and electronics are often the hardest hit.

Buying and running a car is often the second most expensive thing to do in life after buying a house and keeping it in ship-shape condition. With the price of gas having soared before settling back down recently, people are realizing the cost of owning a gas-guzzling vehicle such as a 4×4, a jeep, or even a Humvee.

A survey conducted by Which? has found that Brits are changing their buying habits in relation to automobiles as a direct result of the economic downturn. Many are now actively downsizing from larger models to smaller, more fuel-efficient models in a bid to stop hemorrhaging money every mile they drive.

The market for off-roaders and luxury cars is said to have virtually collapsed in the UK.

In the U.S., meanwhile, this is unlikely to happen. For starters, big cars are the norm, and while driving a 4×4 in Britain is socially unacceptable in these enlightened times, it’s still OK to do so in the States. Then there is the fact that gas, or petrol, is a lot cheaper in America than in most of Europe, and especially in the UK where car drivers are taxed to the eyeballs.

I’m personally glad that people are making the move to smaller cars. They’re better for the environment, less likely to injure and maim people, and altogether a lot more friendly to other road users. Now, if we could just get the U.S. to follow the UK’s lead, we may actually get somewhere.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm under Auto, Opinion.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
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