Roadside rubbish resolution

Duck2water car insurance services urge motorists to turn over a new leaf in 2006 by refraining from throwing litter out of the window of their vehicles.

There are an estimated 1.3 million pieces of litter being chucked out of car windows onto UK roadsides every weekend, and with more people taking to the roads each year the problem is expected to get worse.

There is a whole variety of rubbish that people dispose of out of the car window; litter pickers report common items include tissues, food wrappers, drink cans and bottles, nappies, carrier bags, and cigarette butts. Some of the more unusual things that litter pickers working on roadsides have found are watering cans, a pantomime horse’s head, and ice skates.

A study found that 19% of drivers admitted to throwing rubbish out the window. The reasons given by litter-tossing motorists range from wanting to keep their car clean to taking advantage of the fact that they think they can get away with it, whilst others are unaware of the implications and have a “why not” attitude.

It is not just a matter of keeping the roadsides looking nice, as many of the “why not” type of drivers think. The consequences of dropping litter can be serious; plastic bags can cause car accidents if they obscure a driver’s vision, whilst glass bottles cause tyre punctures, and much of the rubbish poses a threat to wildlife.

Rebecca Pearson of Duck2water car insurance services, comments:

“When we asked Duck2water customers of their views on roadside litter, 85% reported that they found it annoying and wished that other drivers would refrain from littering. This is clearly an evocative issue, as we received some quite heated replies from people.

As we are at the beginning of a new year, perhaps motorists could make a resolution to change this habit. If they want to get rid of rubbish, they could try keeping a plastic bag tucked under a seat or in a pocket in the car. This way they can pop any litter into it and then dispose of the bag when they get to their destination without needing to worry about the car getting messy.”

There have been several drives to try to reduce roadside littering, including “Don’t be a tosser”, part of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. It saw a 40% temporary reduction in roadside rubbish, although levels have increased since. However, the success indicates that a sustained campaign could make a real difference.

http://www.duck2watercarinsurance.co.uk