Drive to be green

Youngsters’ learner school issues top tips for eco-friendly motoring on World Environment Day

A STAGGERING nine out of 10 UK motorists don’t know how to drive their cars in the most ecofriendly way, according to a study.

Now pre-17 driving school Young Driver, who carried out the survey to mark World Environment Day today, has shared top tips on how to be greener at the wheel.

The organisation quizzed 1000 people and found just 11 per cent knew how to drive their pride and joy in the best manner for the environment.

Worryingly, that figure dropped to just six per cent of drivers aged 25 to 34. But 24 per cent said they tried to be environmentally conscious on the road in some ways.

And it was motorists aged 45-plus who were most likely to make an effort to be kinder to the planet when driving.

Young Driver’s top 10 tips for greener driving in a petrol/diesel vehicle are:

Be smooth – smoother driving is key to being a more environmentally friendly driver. Less heavy braking or over-zealous acceleration means you use less fuel – which is better for both your pocket and the environment.

Move up the gears – changing through the gears as quickly as

possible (at about 2000/2500 rpm) will help you use fuel more economically.

Don’t overload – the heavier your car is, the more fuel it will burn. Ensure any extra weight is removed from the car before each trip – that includes roof boxes, which also add extra “drag”. In other words, don’t use your car as storage space.

Maintain a sensible speed – going too fast will use extra fuel, as well as being potentially dangerous. Driving at 60mph will use a lot less fuel than driving at speeds above that. Cruise control is useful to maintain a constant speed when appropriate.

Check your tyres – if your tyres are underinflated, not only is it dangerous, but you’ll also use more fuel and so emit more CO2. Make sure you check your tyre pressure regularly – ideally every week.

Chill out – air conditioning can really increase your fuel usage so, where possible, try to open windows

rather than automatically putting on the air con. However, the one exception to that is when driving at speed – then the air con is actually more efficient than opening a window.

Keep up with maintenance and servicing – making sure your car is running as it should be is vital to ensure your car is as eco-friendly as possible.

Switch off – some modern cars do this automatically. But if the car is standing still for more than a few minutes, switch off the engine – for example, while parked or in a stationary traffic jam.

Plan ahead – check out your route beforehand to make sure you know where you’re going, and to check for any possible delays or hold-ups that may add extra time or miles to your journey.

Keep watch – when approaching traffic lights or a need to stop, if it’s safe to do so, try reducing your speed more gradually by easing off the accelerator rather than having to brake. If you can avoid stopping completely, you’ll increase your fuel efficiency.

Sue Waterfield, head of marketing at Young Driver, which is the UK’s largest provider of pre-17 driving lessons, said: “We feel passionately about doing what we can to protect the environment and we know our pupils feel likewise.

“All drivers have a responsibility to try to minimise their impact on the environment, although it seems that many of us struggle to know how to go about it.

“People continue to rely on their cars – not everyone has access to an electric vehicle and at the moment using public transport is difficult.

“At Young Driver, we think it is vital to teach our 10 to 17-year-old students how to be more eco-friendly if they are behind the wheel of a petrol or diesel vehicle and it’s something we do as part of our lessons.”