Motoring costs, how should it be done ?
Discussion
Ok, so we all agree that the current regime is, to put it mildly a little expensive and restrictive.
How should it be done, what is a reasonable price for fuel, tax, insurance etc, which bits of legislation should stay, and which go ?
No point in daft suggestions of 3p a litre and subsidised V8's, at what point would you not complain and also if it were cheaper what woudl the impact be, would it be gridlock or would it make no difference as people generally dontdrive unless they have to.
How should it be done, what is a reasonable price for fuel, tax, insurance etc, which bits of legislation should stay, and which go ?
No point in daft suggestions of 3p a litre and subsidised V8's, at what point would you not complain and also if it were cheaper what woudl the impact be, would it be gridlock or would it make no difference as people generally dontdrive unless they have to.
I'll never ever complain.
Why? Because i know as each day goes by, oil reduces in number. Based on this alone, petrol is never, ever, ever going to get cheaper.
One day it'll be £10 a litre.
Do i care? No. Why? Because it's inevitable.
I laugh at people who rage on about fuel prices. I moan about my cars economy, but i still fill it each week. If you don't want to pay the fuel, buy a pushbike.
Why? Because i know as each day goes by, oil reduces in number. Based on this alone, petrol is never, ever, ever going to get cheaper.
One day it'll be £10 a litre.
Do i care? No. Why? Because it's inevitable.
I laugh at people who rage on about fuel prices. I moan about my cars economy, but i still fill it each week. If you don't want to pay the fuel, buy a pushbike.
As above. I feel sorry for people that are struggling but the cost of motoring seems very reasonable to me. For me, personally, motoring was expensive about 10 years ago due to insurance and I was earning less. Very cheap now in real terms (or at least it could be if I choose to make it so). So no. No suggestions from me I'm afraid I'm just keeping my head down and hoping any changes are small.
Edited by varsas on Thursday 22 March 19:31
varsas said:
the cost of motoring seems very reasonable to me.
My god I hope George Osbourne doesn't read this 
These days the only thing that kicks me in the teeth is the price difference between petrol and diesel. People who suffer diesel should not then find that all their pinch-penny hypermiling has saved them very little. The fact it is so much more seems to be just because the budget makers 'can'- last I checked, diesel was cheaper to manufacture than petrol and was sold in greater quantities. This would also give haulage companies and those heavily dependant on a fleet of large vehicles a break.
J4CKO said:
Ok, so we all agree that the current regime is, to put it mildly a little expensive and restrictive.
How should it be done, what is a reasonable price for fuel, tax, insurance etc, which bits of legislation should stay, and which go ?
No point in daft suggestions of 3p a litre and subsidised V8's, at what point would you not complain and also if it were cheaper what woudl the impact be, would it be gridlock or would it make no difference as people generally dontdrive unless they have to.
-Free road tax for vehicles 40 years old or olderHow should it be done, what is a reasonable price for fuel, tax, insurance etc, which bits of legislation should stay, and which go ?
No point in daft suggestions of 3p a litre and subsidised V8's, at what point would you not complain and also if it were cheaper what woudl the impact be, would it be gridlock or would it make no difference as people generally dontdrive unless they have to.
-3rd party insurance as part of an annual driving licence renewal (with age/claim bandings)
-a road tax system that also include annual mileage as part of the cost rather than just charging big engined cars that do short distances a lot more than little cars doing mega mileages
-A legal cap on the amount fully comp insurance can cost
-MoT checks that actually test for safety and emissions control not to see if parts are visually attached
-acceptance that you'll NEVER stop speeding, so instead of wasting time and money doing so, effort should be directed at controlling speed in specific built up or high hazard areas
-regular driving licence re-tests (3-5 years)
-outlaw mass profiteering of diesel just because it's currently popular. If it costs no more than petrol to produce, then it shouldn't cost anymore to buy
-outlaw petrol companies raising prices on current "stock" just because the price has risen for crude.
-Introduce stanardised pricing, petrol/diesel should cost exactly the same everywhere in the UK and the price should be set and controlled by Parliament
HustleRussell said:
The fact it is so much more seems to be just because the budget makers 'can'- last I checked, diesel was cheaper to manufacture than petrol and was sold in greater quantities. This would also give haulage companies and those heavily dependant on a fleet of large vehicles a break.
When you extract some oil from the ground, you don't decide to turn it into either diesel OR petrol, you naturally get a proportion of both (as well as other hydrocarbon fuels). Therefore as more and more misers turn to dagdags to save their pennies, the cost of diesel is going to rise rather than fall.Mr2Mike] said:
Therefore as more and more misers turn to dagdags to save their pennies, the cost of diesel is going to rise rather than fall.
Excellent, so when all the muppets are buzzing and clicking around in their little electric cars the juicy petrol for a nice big V8 should be really cheap! Keep the price of fuel as is, but with road tax and (3rd party) insurance included in the price. This would make sense (mostly) as the more miles you do, the more 'wear' you put on the roads, and the higher your likelihood of having a bump is.
Not an answer to the original question, but related; the driving test should be much more difficult with initial training off the road. No speed cameras but far, far more traffic police on the road, many in plain cars, to maintain high driving standards by enforcing safe and courteous driving. No points/fine but an instant 2 week impounding of car for violation of driving standards.. This would be more of a deterrent to many than sixty quid and a few numbers, and would have the same effect on everyone, regardless of their wealth. This would (perhaps unfortunately) involve officer's discretion but would follow code of practice i.e. 30mph in the wet at 3.30pm by a school would be unacceptable, as would tailgating or using a phone while driving in any way. 100mph on a quiet, dry, motorway or 80mph on a single carriageway would be ok IF not in a way such that it's a danger to other road users.
Not an answer to the original question, but related; the driving test should be much more difficult with initial training off the road. No speed cameras but far, far more traffic police on the road, many in plain cars, to maintain high driving standards by enforcing safe and courteous driving. No points/fine but an instant 2 week impounding of car for violation of driving standards.. This would be more of a deterrent to many than sixty quid and a few numbers, and would have the same effect on everyone, regardless of their wealth. This would (perhaps unfortunately) involve officer's discretion but would follow code of practice i.e. 30mph in the wet at 3.30pm by a school would be unacceptable, as would tailgating or using a phone while driving in any way. 100mph on a quiet, dry, motorway or 80mph on a single carriageway would be ok IF not in a way such that it's a danger to other road users.
Wafflesmk2 said:
I'll never ever complain.
Why? Because i know as each day goes by, oil reduces in number. Based on this alone, petrol is never, ever, ever going to get cheaper.
It does, but how much haven't we discovered yet? There's a whole bunch of it under Antarctica for a start.Why? Because i know as each day goes by, oil reduces in number. Based on this alone, petrol is never, ever, ever going to get cheaper.
Consider this: in Qatar petrol is 6p/litre
The problem for the Government is their approach for years has been to encourage behaviour which costs motorists less in tax. Buried deep in a Government report this week regarding Vehicle Excise Duty has them admitting that after years of encouraging low-tax cars they are not receiving as much money as they need.
WOW!!!!!!
I NEVER SAW THAT COMING!!
DID YOU?!?!?!?!
WOW!!!!!!I NEVER SAW THAT COMING!!
DID YOU?!?!?!?!
martin84 said:
The problem for the Government is their approach for years has been to encourage behaviour which costs motorists less in tax. Buried deep in a Government report this week regarding Vehicle Excise Duty has them admitting that after years of encouraging low-tax cars they are not receiving as much money as they need.
WOW!!!!!!
I NEVER SAW THAT COMING!!
DID YOU?!?!?!?!
Same goes for fuel. Persuade people that green is the way forward, dump their <=30mpg petrol cars for >40mpg diesels and suddenly less fuel is being bought and less duty being collected... WOW!!!!!!I NEVER SAW THAT COMING!!
DID YOU?!?!?!?!
carl_w said:
ame goes for fuel. Persuade people that green is the way forward, dump their <=30mpg petrol cars for >40mpg diesels and suddenly less fuel is being bought and less duty being collected...
Yes but we've been saying for years that if everybody does as they're told then surely they'll sell less fuel and raise less money? It didnt matter until recently, for the last 15 odd years car ownership has increased which offset the difference but what goes up must come down etc.It really seems as though they never saw this coming, which is quite hilarious.
The whole low VED thing is ridiculous. Compared to the rest of the world even our higher levels of VED are not exactly expensive.
What it is ridiculous however is the idea that it should cost just £35 a year to buy VED for a 320d. Thats just ridiculous, it's pointlessly cheap. Nobody with a 2012 320d ED owns it because its only £35 a year to buy VED for. It's money the treasury is pointlessly missing out on and then needs to make up in other ways.
What it is ridiculous however is the idea that it should cost just £35 a year to buy VED for a 320d. Thats just ridiculous, it's pointlessly cheap. Nobody with a 2012 320d ED owns it because its only £35 a year to buy VED for. It's money the treasury is pointlessly missing out on and then needs to make up in other ways.
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