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Your guide to Smart Driving

Be kind to your car (and your pocket). There is a direct link between looking after your car and reducing both the cost of running it and the impact that is has on the environment.

Drive Smart, savemore, pollute less

  • Keep tyre pressures at the optimum level. Flat tyres use more fuel and over-flation causes uneven tyre wear and reduces grip.
  • Service your car regularly. Get the engine tuned, the wheels aligned and the catalytic converter checked. 90% of badly polluting vehicles can be retuned at a garage within 15 minutes.
  • Remove your roof rack or roof box when you’re not using it – you could be wasting up to 40% extra fuel.
  • Empty your boot – the more weight you carry, the poorer the fuel efficiency.
  • Use air-conditioning sparingly. In a petrol vehicle is uses on average 15% more fuel and, in a diesel car it can increase consumption by 40%. Switching on anything electric – rear screen heater, mobile phone charger – has a similar effect.
  • Limit short journeys where possible. They can reduce the life of your engine and are the most damaging to the environment.
  • Engine wear is higher on short journeys, as the lubricants have not reached the correct temperature.
  • Your first kilometre produces 60% more fumes than when the engine is warmed up.
  • Catalytic converters are only effective for journeys over 5 miles.

Take a closer look at

Smart driving techniques

Drive off

An idling engine produces 80% more pollution than when a vehicle is in motion, so drive off soon after starting the engine. There is no need to ‘warm up’ the engine; modern cars warm up faster on being driven.

Get in gear

Change up to a higher gear as soon as the car is ready.

Be smooth

Accelerating and braking increases fuel consumption by 20%. Sharp acceleration produces 50% more pollution so drive smoothly, especially in a slow moving queue.

Slow down

The faster you drive, the more carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide your car produces so slow down. 40-55mph is the most economical speed. At 70mph you use 30% more fuel than at 50mph and 20% more fuel than at 60mph.

In a queue

If you sit in your car with the engine running, your engine produces more pollution, your catalytic converter doesn’t work properly and you waste fuel. It’s better to switch off your engine in stationary traffic; restarting the engine uses less energy than 10 seconds idling.

Read the road ahead

By reading the road and traffic conditions ahead of you, you can adjust the speed of your car without the need for unnecessary acceleration or braking.

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Alternative fuels and cleaner vehicles

When choosing a car, a smaller one will save you money on fuel and cost you less in tax.

Both Vehicle Excise Duty for new cars and Company Car tax are now based on the CO2 emissions of the vehicle. Fuel consumption of similar size cars can vary by as much as 45%. The Vehicle Certification Agency has comprehensive details of fuel consumption, tax classes and exhaust pollution levels for most new car models. Access their database at www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk or call 0117 951 5151 for more information.

Petrol vs Diesel?

There is no easy answer. Both types produce harmful exhaust gases. If you tend to make mainly urban journeys, you should choose a small, petrol car. Smaller cars use less fuel, cause less congestion and are easier to park. Diesels produce more particles, which can aggravate asthma. Log onto the Energy Savings Trust website www.est.org.uk for more information on cleaner fuel availability.

Bio diesel, made from recycled vegetable oil, is now available. Most diesel engines can use a blend of bio diesel without any modification. Burning recycled vegetable oil does not add to CO2 in the atmosphere, and it is generally cheaper than fossil diesel. Contact: Longma Bio-Fuels, 01432 263484.

Hybrid vehicles have both an electric motor and a petrol engine. They do not need to be plugged in to be recharged, as this is done by the petrol engine and braking system. Hybrids have impressive fuel economy and low emissions. Currently Toyota, Honda and Lexus have hybrid models available.

Electric vehicles produce low noise, emit zero emissions at the point of use and can also be cheap to run (as little as 1p per mile). They currently best suit people who use their cars for short urban trips.

LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) vehicles generally produce fewer pollutants than petrol-only cars. The fuel system automatically reverts to petrol should the vehicle run out of gas. A range of manufacturers now offer dual-fuel vehicles and LPG is considerably cheaper than unleaded petrol.

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Cut your car use

(and feel the benefits)

Although cars are useful, and sometimes essential, owning a car is incredibly expensive. Many people do not realise just how much of a dent in their finances a car can make, and some people are finding that hiring a car when they need one can be a better solution.

If you drive a small second-hand car 5,000 miles a year, it will cost around £2,500, ie £7 per day or 50p per mile. By comparison a bike, including purchase, depreciation, insurance, servicing, spares and waterproof clothing will cost under £200 a year.

Give your car a break

  • Why not try car sharing and see how much you could cut the cost of travelling, save wear and tear on your car and reduce the stress of driving.
  • Consider walking or cycling instead, particularly for short journeys. You may be surprised at how quickly you can get about by foot and by bike, when you can bypass traffic congestion and avoid searching for a parking space. Walking and cycling are also the healthiest ways to get around and an easy way to fit regular exercise into busy lives.
  • Where you can, take the opportunity to avoid making journeys. Home shopping can be a convenient solution, saving time as well as vehicle miles. Also, many more employers now support occasional working from home and more flexible working.
  • If you need to travel during the course of your work, ask your company to provide pool bikes or pool cars so that you can walk, cycle or take Public Transport to work.

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Plan your journey

Motorists waste 350,000 tonnes of fuel per year getting lost. Roadworks can also cause long delays. To minimise loss of time and fuel, there are a number of free sources of up to date travel information to help plan your journeys:

Alternatively, you can use the following help lines

Highways Agency: 08457 504030

Traveline: 0870 6082608

For further information about alternative fuels, cleaner vehicles, cutting your car use and advanced driving techniques, visit www.travelwise.org.uk

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Contact us

Carol Edmondson
Regeneration Officer
Regeneration – Delivery and Development
Walsall Council
Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1TP

Telephone 01922 652864
Email edmondsonc@walsall.gov.uk