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Car
christening Britons love their cars
A new study reveals half of UK
motorists admit to loving their car and a 3rd take this even further
by giving it a name, with Betsy coming out on top as the most
popular name followed by Baby and Betty.
Women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond asked 1,000 motorists
about their feelings towards their car and the results showed 50%
say they love their car and 33% have given it a name. However, it’s
women who are more likely to christen their cars, with 38% of them
admitting their car has a name compared with 26% of men.
Diamond spokesman, James Carnduff, commented:- “A car may
simply be a tonne and a half of metal and glass, but to some people
it means much more than that, in fact 2% of motorists admit their
car is the most important thing in their life.
People spend
large amounts of time in their car so it’s not surprising that they
become attached to them, however, I’m sure they get called all sorts
of interesting names when they don’t work as they’re meant to!”
When looking around the country it’s the Welsh who come out as the
top car christeners, with 50% admitting their car has a name,
followed by people in the East Midlands and Yorkshire, both with
38%.
But just what are people calling their cars?
Women’s names are the
most common with the top 5 most popular consisting purely of them so
it looks like a lot of people see their cars as being female.
The
top 5 most popular names are:-
1. Betsy
2. Baby
3. Betty
4. Ruby
5. Susie James
continued:- “Although the top 5 was dominated by women’s names
there were also some very strange names in our list including
Beastie, Einstein, Fizzy Pop, Henry McHaggis, Kim Jong-il, Mr
Aubergine McRalph and Sadie Frost!
Some people undoubtedly have
fantastic imaginations when it comes to naming their car!”
If you have a good name for your car...
then let us know by emailing it to us at
news24@southportreporter.com. |
ROAD DEATHS IN MERSEYSIDE FALL BY 55%
WITH the
launch of National Road Victim Month, and with analysis of
statistics revealing that road deaths have fallen by 55% in
Merseyside, the future looks promising. However, this analysis has
brought to light a startling disparity between the north and south
and with the death of over 2602 people on Lancashire’s roads since
2003 there is still room for significant improvement. To highlight
the need for safe, responsible driving, BSM is undertaking a series
of grass-roots education initiatives to work with youngsters across
the UK.
Statistics show that 1 in 5 people have an accident within 6 months
of passing their test and a further 70% report near misses in the
same period. Newly qualified drivers and their passengers account
for 20% of all car deaths in Britain, and whilst just 1 in 8 licence
holders is under the age of 25, they account for a 3rd of all
drivers killed in road collisions.
To raise awareness of this and to support National Road Victim
Month, BSM is undertaking an education drive to encourage young
drivers to seize opportunities to learn responsibly before they get
on the road. BSM, the UK’s largest driving school, offers a
number of initiatives aimed at pre-drivers and newly qualified
drivers, educating them about the real-life consequences of
irresponsible driving and instilling a sense of responsible
learning. It offers 2 free education programmes which can be used as
part of the school curriculum targeting school children aged 14-19,
and will proactively link with local schools across the UK to host
road safety education sessions; something it has done for many years
and will continue to do so for years to come.
Robin Cummins OBE, Road Safety Consultant for BSM, said:-
“Road safety is a life skill. These statistics show that there is a
vast divide between age groups and even regions across the UK. By
working with those who are yet to learn to drive at a grass-roots
level, we can begin to develop the skills necessary for a lifetime
of enjoyable and accident free motoring.”
In addition, BSM offers all learners or newly qualified drivers
access to the BSM Simulator; a unique off-road interactive tool
which focuses on hazard awareness and hazard perception. Based at
BSM centres across the UK they offer a valuable opportunity for
people to improve their skills in a safe environment.
Every year more than 750,000 people pass their driving test and new,
young drivers make a disproportionate contribution towards the
number of accidents on Britain’s roads. Whilst overall deaths on the
UK’s roads have decreased, recent analysis of figures by the
Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety have shown a
startling disparity nationwide, with several counties in southern
England experiencing an increase in the number of fatalities by a
5th over 5 years.
The regional difference is particularly evident between the North
and the South:- in Gwent, South Wales, road deaths have increased by
60%, and by 26% in both Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire. However in the
north, Merseyside road deaths are significantly lower than the
national average and have dropped by 55% from this time last year.
In Lancashire the drop has been 36% and 22% in Humberside. |
