Almost half of British drivers could be effectively using their cars as a ‘travelling wardrobe’ by keeping clothes in them all the time, according to recent research.
In a poll of 2,000 adults by the insurance company, 1st Central, respondents were quizzed about clothing items they keep in their car. 47 per cent of the respondents said they keep clothes in their car at all times. When applying the poll’s findings nationwide, as many as 1.8 million drivers in this country could be using their car to store clothing. The research also found an estimated 682,000 people keep an item of clothing in their car that belongs to an ex, which they can’t bear to throw out.
The survey also found that men are twice as likely as women to hide something they’ve purchased in their car. Men also keep more sports equipment in their cars and an estimated £1 billion of football boots are stowed in cars nationwide.
A more peculiar finding from the poll is that one in five respondents (18 per cent) said they always use driving gloves when in their car. Amongst those that always wear these, 20 per cent are aged between 18 and 24.
Other clothing items which certain poll respondents revealed were kept in their cars included rubber gloves, gas masks, feather boas and tutus.
The UK CEO for 1st Central, Andy James, commented: “If you add it up, some of the kit we keep in our cars not only builds up in weight eating into our fuel consumption, but can equate to a hefty price tag too. Expensive football boots, sports kit and designer sunglasses aren’t necessarily covered in your car insurance, so drivers do need to keep this in mind when giving their things the boot.”
