Smarter Driving
Using the Car more Efficiently – reducing your carbon footprint
The way we drive can affect have a big impact on the amount of fuel we use, and thus our carbon footprint.
Drive a more fuel efficient car. Many modern cars are more efficient than their earlier counterparts. When you buy a car, consider the environment and the amount of CO2 emitted. We spend 30-40% of our incomes on travel, particularly the car; so driving a more economic car will save you money as well as the environment. Cleaner, smaller engines also attract a lower road tax and insurance.
Plan your trips. As “rural dwellers” we tend to use our cars a lot for trips to school, work, the shops, recreational areas etc. Try to combine your trips in as logical way as possible. Keep a list of things you need to do in, eg. Devizes, Marlborough etc and make one trip to these places in a week – rather than multiple trips. Planning trips will save you money as well as help the environment
Lift Share. Try to share as many trips as possible with other people. Try to avoid the one person / one car situation seen so often on commuter roads. Think about sharing lifts with friends and family to work, the shops, the sports centre, out for the evening. Sharing lifts will also save you money as well as help the environment.
As a nation, we like the sanctity and protection of our own cars and don’t particularly like the idea of sharing this space with strangers or travelling with strangers in their cars. Try to break this. Join www.liftshare.com – there are people in your area looking to share lifts.
Drive smarter more fuel-efficiently. Although are remarkable innovation, the car engine is actually very inefficient converting only 30% of energy into effective energy. The rest is lost through the engine and braking system in the form of heat. By avoiding “heavy” starting and stopping, and by driving at a sensible speed and with low revs, you can reduce your fuel consumption by 15% or more. This will save you money as well as help the environment.
The Carbon Trust has come up with useful advice regarding more efficient driving. They run programmes to help businesses educate their drivers in smarter driving practices – ensuring that they are also safer and save money on fuel. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/business/...
This video from the Carbon Trust offers some tips.