Post Two: Driving economically - is it worth it?

First of all I'd like to say I'm amazed at the response to my first post yesterday - it's had almost 50 views already which is just amazing. :) So thank you to anyone who has read it! And now to my main point of the post...

To answer the question, yes! Driving economically is definitely worth it. I don't think articles emphasise enough the difference it makes, not only to your pocket and the environment, but to your general wellbeing.

I first made the decision to focus my attention on my driving a few weeks ago, when I'd needed to make a number of unexpected trips that were really hard on my bank balance. I'd read a few articles by this point that suggested how you drive and the state of your car can effect how fuel efficient it is - seems obvious enough but it's something most people overlook on a day-to-day basis. So I looked into it and decided to experiment with the ideas I found. From the very basic - "Look further ahead than just the car in front so you can anticipate the need to slow down without braking." to the more complicated 'Hypermiling', which follows theories like avoiding bumps, drains etc in the road to avoid resistance and staying in the slipstream of the car ahead (although not so close that it becomes dangerous).
All of these theories require concentration on your driving at all times so suggestions like turning your radio off and not allowing passengers to talk are quite popular. I find these a little excessive myself, but if you were desperate to save the pennies I've found that not following them is a bad move.

I'll highlight the tips I found to be the most useful below, but for those of you who really want to look into this and try it for yourself properly I'll add links at the end so you can find out more.

1. Don't speed. The most obvious of them all - the difference in petrol used between 60mph and 70mph is about 25% according to the statistics, which is a huge increase if you're trying to conserve it. And really, are you in so much of a hurry that you can't go that little bit slower? If you are, I point you to my next tip...

2. Leave in plenty of time. If you've got 30 minutes to be somewhere and you've only left 20, you're going to speed. You're going to accelerate fast and brake hard, which are the two biggest wastes of petrol going. So leave yourself plenty of time to get there. If it takes 30 minutes, leave 35 or 40. Then if you hit traffic you don't have to stress that you're going to be late.

3. Look ahead. If you can see that the traffic lights you're approaching are going red, or a car in front is braking, just take your foot off the accelerator. Coast to a stop instead of needing to brake, that way if the lights go green you can simply start accelerating again without having lost any momentum. An easy way to think of it is; Accelerator = money spent, Brake = money wasted.

4. Empty your car. I don't mean get rid of vital parts, or emergency supplies like a first aid kit or spare tyre. I mean get rid of that pair of flat shoes you threw in one day in case your heels hurt while you were out, and that book that your passenger left last time you had a long drive. Bits of rubbish, half finished drinks, things you meant to put in the garage but haven't yet.. They're all costing you money to drive around with you. The heavier your car is the less efficient it becomes, so never have more than absolutely necessary in your car.

5. Drive defensively. Most of us drive aggresively, overtaking and trying to get there before everyone else. We accelerate fast to pull out into tiny gaps and we speed up so no one else can pull out in front. Why? 9/10 times we get there at the same time as everyone else anyway. A light goes red, there's traffic and eventually those people we overtook catch up anyway. So why bother? Accelerating gently means no petrol is wasted and you won't have to brake suddenly if someone does pull out into that tiny gap ahead of you. It's also good for your blood pressure!

And finally..

6. Enjoy the drive! Whether it's an urban area or rolling green hills, your commute has something of interest to look at. And if you're so busy driving as fast as possible without crashing you're going to miss it. Driving at a reasonable speed and letting others stress about getting there first means you can enjoy the experience, notice the rainbow over the ring road (speaking from experience!) or appreciate how green the fields look in the sunshine.


The first 5 tips will certainly help your bank balance and the environment, the 6th tip will help you. I don't claim to be perfect at this and I admit that I still leave 10 minutes later than I should sometimes, my mantra becoming "Green lights, no traffic. Green lights, no traffic!" But I can tell you I've gone from refilling my car about 3 times a fortnight, to 2 times a fortnight on average. There are weeks I have to fill up more, but that's because I've done more miles not because my methods aren't working.

So there you are! A quick-stop guide to better driving. If you want to know more just leave me a comment below or check out some of these links:

Ten Steps to Economical Driving
Guide to Hypermiling
The AA's Advice