Reportedly, motorists with car insurance for young drivers are likely to be driving much further to find a petrol station than their parents will have needed to at the same age.
The research, conducted by Palmer and Harvey (P&H), a leading independent and national retail goods wholesaler, has shown that in 1991 there were 21,000 forecourts in Britain, while there are now less than 9,000 – despite the number of vehicles on the highways doubling in the same period.
This decrease in the number of petrol stations means that in some areas of the UK, particularly in the countryside, drivers have to travel much further to fill up their cars than they used to. These areas are being called ‘fuel deserts'.
Having to travel further may reduce the impact of any savings road users are making by finding cheap car insurance.
The P&H chief executive said, "These fuel deserts lead to massive inconvenience for the already hard-pressed motorist, and also to the loss of a focal point in communities that have often lost their local pub, village shop, post office or even, in the worst cases, their entire high street."
The chairman of the RMI Independent Petrol Retailers Association added, "If the situation is left as it is, there will be irreparable damage to the already struggling independent petrol retail sector with many more going out of business."
Apparently the area which has the lowest forecourt to car ratio in the UK is Torridge in Devon. Experienced motorists, as well as those with car insurance for young drivers, may be able to balance out the extra money they have to spend traveling to the petrol station by finding cheap cover and purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle.