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Ecosafe Driving Lessons |
Hazard awareness and Planning |
You should be constantly scanning all around as you drive. Check into the far distance, midground and foreground, also check behind and to the sides by frequent use of your mirrors.
Early recognition of potential hazard is important, but just looking isn't enough, you need to act correctly on what you have seen.
This will mean you are able to anticipate problems and take appropriate action in good time to ensure you are travelling at the correct speed when dealing with a hazard. By doing this you will avoid
- Late braking
- Harsh acceleration.
Both of these actions lead to higher fuel consumption.
Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front as this will help you to plan your driving. Don't always use the brake when the vehicle in front slows down. By just taking your foot off the accelerator, your vehicle will then slow down and fuel consumption will be reduced.
However you may wish to use your brakes to advise vehicles following you that are slowing down.
If you plan early hazards
- You will avoid causing bunching of other road users
- Traffic will flow more smoothly
- You will use less fuel
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Starting up
If your car is fitted with a choke and you need to use it to start the engine when it's cold, push it in as soon as the engine will run smoothly without it.
Driving away
Avoid over-revving your engine when you start your vehicle and try to pull away smoothly.
Do not leave your engine running unnecessarily. If you are stationary and are likely to be so for more than a few minutes, you should switch off your engine to reduce emissions and noise pollution.
Choosing your speed
Always drive sensibly
Keep within the speed limit - exceeding a speed limit by only a few miles per hour will mean that you use more fuel but, more importantly, you are breaking the law and increasing the risk of serious injury if you're involved in a collision.
Slow down - Vehicles travelling at 70 mph (112 km/h) use up to 30% more fuel to cover the same distance as those travelling at 50 mph (80 km/h). However, don't travel so slowly that you inconvenience other road users.
Use cruise control when appropriate if it's fitted. Using cruise control keeps a steady setting on the accelerator, so not varying the intake of fuel. It can also help to maintain your speed within the speed limit.
Cruise control should not be used in heavy traffic or when driving on wet or slippery roads. Remember, when cruise control is activated, your feet may not be in their usual position in relation to the foot controls.
The accelerator
Try to use the accelerator smoothly and progressively. When appropriate take your foot of the accelerator and allow the momentum off the car to take you forward.
Taking your foot off the accelerator when going downhill can save a considerable amount of fuel without any loss of control over the vehicle.
Wherever possible avoid rapid acceleration or heavy braking as his leads to greater fuel consumption and more pollution.
Driving smoothly can reduce fuel consumption by 15% as well as reducing wear and tear on your vehicle.
Selecting gears
It's not always necessary to change up or down through each gear, it is possible to miss out intermediate gears ('block' gear changing'). This helps to reduce the amount of time you are accelerating, and as this is when fuel consumption is at its highest, you can save fuel by missing out some gears As soon as conditions allow, use the highest gear possible without making the engine struggle.
Check fuel consumption
Check your fuel consumption regularly. To make sure you are getting the most from the car, simply record the amount of fuel you put in your car against miles travelled. This will help you to check whether you're using fuel efficiently.
If you haven't changed your method of driving, or the condition in which you're driving, an increase in the average consumption can mean you need to have your car serviced. Eco-friendly car drivers are constantly aware of how much fuel their vehicle use.
If your car is fitted with a trip computer, it can help you check your fuel consumption.
Engine breaking
With your foot fully off the accelerator the engine needs very little fuel, so take advantage of engine breaking wherever possible.
Engine power
Modern cars are designed to deliver power even when engine revs are quite low. You'll find that you can make use of the higher gears at low speeds.
Route planning
Plan your route and avoid known hold ups and roadwork's. Always know when you're going - you'll use a lot of fuel by getting lost.
Plan your journey beforehand:
- Use a map
- Check a route planner on the internet
- Programme your satellite navigation system if you have one.
Try to use uncongested routes. Continuous research has resulted in new methods of helping the environment by easing traffic flow.
If you're likely to be making a prolonged stop, say for more than two minutes at a level crossing or roadwork's, you may consider it best to stop the engine.
Minimise drag
Avoid carrying unnecessary weight - save fuel by not carrying unnecessary weight in your car. If your cars roof rack is removable, take it off when it's not in use to reduce wind resistance. The drag on a roof box can increase the fuel consumption by more than 15%.
If its fitted, use air conditioning only when you need to - running air conditioning continuously may increase fuel consumption by about 15%.
The alternative to air conditioning may be to open your windows but this will increase drag and consequently fuel consumption when you're driving.
Parking
Always try to reverse into a parking space so you can drive out of it.
Manoeuvring whilst the engine is cold uses a lot of fuel. When you park in a garage or car park and intend to stay for a long time, reverse the car into the space or garage while the engine is warm, drive out forwards when it is cold.
A cold start in really cold weather could put additional wear on the engine.
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