Motorists oppose metric system

12 April 2012

Motorists are miles away from wanting speed and distances on the road to be measured metrically, it has been revealed.

Around two thirds of 18,500 AA members are strongly opposed to having speed limits in kilometres in the UK, an AA/Populus survey showed.

And about the same number are also not keen on measuring distances in kilometres.

The strongest opposition to going metric came from younger groups, with 83% of 18-24 year olds opposed to speed limits in kilometres per hour and 29% against kilometres being used for distances.

The survey found that although drivers priced and bought fuel at the pumps in litres they worked out their fuel consumption in gallons.

A total of 34% of those polled said the metric system at filling stations was now well established, but 37% wanted a return to the gallon.

AA president Edmund King said: "Not only would going fully metric cost a fortune to implement in Britain it would also not go down well with a majority of the motoring public.

"It does seem odd that we buy our fuel in litres but think about fuel efficiency in miles per gallon. We appear to be an imperial-metric nation.

"However, when it comes to the safety of UK drivers and travellers we have to remember that with more than one million metric-minded drivers coming into UK each year many would benefit from having the metric measurements put up alongside our yards, miles, feet and inches, especially those driving large lorries under bridges."

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