Improve your driving and save the planet – Honda

Japanese car giant Honda has suggested that were British motorists to brush up on their driving skills, they could save fuel and cut emissions.


As part of the ongoing campaign to promote energy efficiency, the car company backed the Energy Saving Trust’s Green Wheels Day last Wednesday by highlighting the waste of petrol caused by bad driving.

An EST survey conducted in the run up to the big day itself suggested that over half of Britain’s motorists would not consider switching off their engines when stuck in traffic – even if it looked like they had a long wait ahead – while many admitted to over-revving the car while stationary and carrying too much luggage, both of which also put a large dent in fuel efficiency.

As well as being a major source of particulate matter and many pollutants responsible for poor air quality, private cars make up a significant share of the UK’s total energy use and the emit the corresponding amount of carbon dioxide.

John Kingston, environment manager at Honda UK, said: “In the same way people might turn off the tap when brushing their teeth, drivers could switch off their engines when stuck in traffic.

“This could save them money, but more importantly, could reduce emissions and help the environment.”

Other steps towards driving a more environmentally friendly car included keeping tyres at the right pressure, stripping off the roof rack when not in use to reduce drag, sharing journeys with one or more passenger when possible, changing gear at the right time and avoiding over-revving, driving at speeds that deliver the vehicle’s optimum miles-per-gallon where possible and servicing the car regularly.

A number of simple tips for drivers can be found on the EST’s website.

Sam Bond

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