THE cost of running a car is now touching €11,000 a year, which is a staggering figure if you stop and think about it.
We’re a two-car family, so you can imagine my dismay when I read the recent figures. Not that I like driving. I would get rid of my car in a heartbeat if I lived in an area better served by public transport and my kids didn’t have a multiplicity of sports-related commitments which have reduced our roles from being parents to that of unpaid taxi drivers.
Rarely do we set off on a journey without the fuel light flashing in one or both cars. When you add in the cost of servicing, tyres, road tax and tolls, it explains why we’ve so little disposable income left at the end of each month.
The insurance industry has lost the run of itself, with staggering premium increases forced on claim-free drivers in recent years. It has now emerged that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is to carry out a probe into the matter. Motorists will await the outcome of any such investigation with interest.
Last week there was further bad news, with warnings that State-owned toll roads – such as the M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel – could be hit with increased charges. This follows a recommendation by the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice that VAT at 23 per cent should be imposed on these routes.
Predictably, there was a bit of noise about what an excessive burden this would place on general road users and the haulage industry but it is unlikely that the Government will be prepared to absorb any increased costs. Sure why would they? Taxes are for us little people.
If you have a toll tag on your car, it can be easy to overlook the drain it has on your finances until you see it staring out from your bank statement each month. The tolling of our roads has effectively saddled us with another household bill; calculate the amount over two months and it can compare with your electricity costs.
Even if you manage to avoid the tolls, driving in Dublin city is expensive, with car parking charges bordering on the offensive. Add into the mix the chaos caused by College Green bus corridors and the Luas Cross City works and you’d wonder why you’d even bother travelling in a car in Dublin, let alone own one.
Further investment in public transport is certainly one way of getting commuters out of their cars and onto buses, trains and trams. But you’d have to question the Government’s stated commitment in achieving this. After all, car ownership is a major source of tax revenue for the State. I suspect there would be a reluctance to kill the golden goose.