ARE you looking to ease the guilt over all the mince pies and chocolates you’re eating in the run-up to Christmas?
Well, you can console yourself with the fact that you’ve probably completed one and a half marathons just walking to and from your car this year. Research by online used-car marketplace heycar shows Scottish drivers walk 274 metres a day on average from their car to their workplace and back.
That works out at more than 1.37km (0.85 miles) a week – and, allowing for four weeks’ holidays, that adds up to a whopping 65km (40.4 miles). Interestingly, motorists in Edinburgh tend to walk just 262 metres a day, while in Glasgow that rises to 294 metres.
Either way, the figures are significantly higher than the UK average, which is just 188 metres on foot daily – resulting in an annual total of 45km (28 miles). The UK-wide data also revealed car owners walk around 68 metres from their car to their front door and back every week – 3.5km (2.2 miles) every year.
Despite the annoyance of having to park on a different street to your home, there is a plus side – with Brits being encouraged to live more active lives. Last month, it emerged that record numbers are switching from couch potato lifestyles to achieving at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.
The heycar research also revealed one in 10 British workers have to pay for parking at work. But despite continued political initiatives to ditch cars in a bid to hit climate change targets, heycar has found that 68 per cent of working Brits still drive to their jobs.
Karen Hilton, chief commercial officer of heycar, said: “People are often infuriated by having to park far from where they want to be – at home and at work. But why not see the positives and look at the health benefits?
“The frustration of trying to find that ‘perfect’ parking spot just isn’t worth it. So walking a short distance every day to your car and back is a good way to clear your head and get you ready for the day ahead – or free your mind of the day’s stresses.”
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