There are many reasons behind this. High flying business men and women use chauffeur car hire for ease. It keeps them stress free in the traffic, leaving them available to take a well-earned breather or, if they just can't resist, to carry on working from a lap top or conducting business calls in the relative comfort of the back seat.

A lot of celebrities use it for protection, some use it so they can drink freely and still get private transport without risk to their driving licence. Indeed, many celebrities have been known in the past to lose their licence from drink driving.

Of course, this is not just something that affects the rich and famous. Drink driving fatalities were last year reported to be at an all time high. Those fortunate enough not to experience loss of life through this crazy act stand to lose their driving licences if caught.

It is documented that 300,000 drivers lose their driving licences annually in the UK. This is due to a variety of reasons from drink driving, speeding and various other motoring offences.

It is important to look at the expense this brings to the car driver apart from the inconvenient 148 extra commuting hours lost over the course of an average 10 month ban.

It is estimated that 2,654 pounds will be spent, per person banned, on alternative transport. This includes taxis, buses, trains and paying friends and relatives for lifts. Add to that the expected 157 pounds lost in unused tax and insurance and this brings the total payout to over 2,800. pounds All supposing, of course, that you are not a new driver with a ban, thus incurring the expense of a re-test.

Of those that can afford it, some banned drivers will use chauffeur car hire. Of course, this is quite an expense and could contribute to the 62% of drivers that claim a ban has changed their driving habits for the better. 21% of drivers worryingly said a ban had no effect on their driving skills, with 13% saying they had tried but found themselves slipping back into bad habits.

November 2007 saw a very harsh crackdown on untaxed vehicles being targeted by UK authorities. Many were found to be without MOT and/or insurance and many cars were impounded and subsequently crushed.

With a fleet of hi-tech 'robo-vans', each with the ability to scan up to 10,000 vehicle registration plates in one day, there is no hiding place for tax evaders. The DVLA are building up a picture of offenders and are increasingly able to target appropriate areas.

They estimate that there are over 1.55million road tax offenders currently being pursued across Britain and they intend to remove each and every one of these vehicles from the roads. At the risk of sounding stereotypical, authorities suggest that those who have no qualms about flouting the UK's road laws are often involved in crimes of other sorts too.

To avoid the expense and inconvenience of losing your licence or vehicle, not to mention the loss of life due to an unsafe vehicle or driver being on the road there are only two options. Abide by the law or get a chauffeured hire car.