Talk amongst drivers in this day and age appears to focus on the spiralling cost of petrol, as well as the food we pick up on those drives to the supermarket.

However, a recent survey carried out by one of the UK’s leading motoring groups has shown that, in fact, car ownership could actually be getting cheaper.

Despite the rising cost of petrol and car insurance premiums, over 7 out of 10 of car owners say they would find it difficult to get through daily life without their cars.

Whilst the cost of filling up the tank might be rising, car ownership has risen since 1988, and running costs for cars in general have shown to be cheaper than 20 years ago.

With technology advancing all the time, many motorists don’t need to shell out quite as much for repairs, or even for the new cars themselves. This can be seen as a stark contrast to the rising cost of insurance in the sector.

Over 90% of those surveyed were of the opinion that Britain was very much a car-dependant country. Indeed, a third of those surveyed said they took shorter car journeys; but worryingly, 9% were fully dependent – choosing to drive rather than walk.

The survey also focused on a darker side of motoring, and results showed a worrying increase in levels of road rage.

Everyone has their own little gripes about what others do on the roads, and with car insurance premiums rising as a result of the mistakes of other motorists, many would argue that they have a reason to be angry.

More than half of those surveyed fear that the roads of Britain will become more gridlocked within the next 20 years – particularly with proposed ‘congestion charges’ – but highlighted road rage as more of a nuisance issue than congestion.

Annoyances range from being cut up by other motorists, tail-gating, ‘middle lane drivers’ on motorways and people trying to drive whilst conversing on their mobile phones.

Indeed, half of those surveyed admitted to having made gestures, swore at or shouted at other drivers in frustration – although a third said that they’d been on the receiving end of road rage that had left them feeling physically threatened.