How to be an Eco Driver and Save Fuel and Money

With fuel prices at an incredible high, there has never been a better time to start thinking about how you can drive your vehicle more economically, saving fuel, money and the environment. Here we take a look at some of the simple measures you can undertake to make your vehicle more fuel efficient.

In the first instance it is important that you look after your vehicle well with regular maintenance. As well as ensuring that your vehicle is in full working order and therefore as efficient as possible, this also includes making sure that your tyres are not under-inflated and that you are not carrying unnecessary weight by using your boot as a storage area! Both of these are bad for fuel economy. Also remove roof racks as these increase air resistance and fuel consumption.

How much you actually use your car is also critical as a quarter of all car journeys are less than two miles long, a distance that many of us could easily walk or cycle. Using your car less by cutting out journeys such as these and car sharing or using public transport will make a big difference to your fuel bill. For the journeys you do make, plan ahead to avoid wasting fuel by sitting in congestion or getting lost!

How you drive also plays a big part. Higher speeds are less economic with fuel as are braking and accelerating hard, and using air conditioning also increases fuel consumption. From the 10th September 2008 driving examiners in the UK will observe and give feedback on eco driving during driving tests. Whilst this is not an area on which a candidate can fail their test, it is important to consider how your driving effects fuel consumption.

All of these areas can be considered to be part of eco driving. By following these simple steps you can save yourself fuel, a great deal of money and have less of a negative environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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