Swiss can’t live without their cars

A large majority of Swiss – 78 per cent - describe their vehicles as "indispensible", a survey released on Monday shows.

However, the poll also found that awareness of the environmental impact of cars had risen by more than ten per cent compared with the last report in 2007.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the Swiss Association of Car Importers, Auto-Switzerland, asked 1,005 people about their attitudes towards their vehicles for the third time since 2005.

It found that the Swiss remained attached to their cars and that almost half of the respondents believed that motorised traffic brought as many benefits as disadvantages.

But 37 per cent of those polled had concerns about noise and environmental protection, up 12 per cent from 2007.

More people – 68 per cent – would also consider alternative cars, namely hybrids, for their next car purchase, the survey found. That is up five per cent from 2007.

Despite this, the survey reported that fewer people would be willing to contribute actively to environmental protection than in 2007. It found that just ten per cent of respondents would be willing to retire cars older than 13 years.

swissinfo.ch and agencies