Green Transport Week 2011 | Green driving

‘Green driving’ may seem a contradiction in terms, but there a number of things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your motoring:

Buying a green car

Buy nearly new Newer vehicles pollute less and tend to be more environmentally efficient but it takes a considerable amount of energy to build a car in the first place so try not to buy a new car unless you absolutely have to.

Buy infrequently as the second-hand car market is very imperfect. It is best to choose a car where you know its history. It is even economic to spend more repairing a vehicle than its market value. Reliability is the key. Once a vehicle becomes unreliable sell it. Changing a car frequently has a financial as well as environmental cost; drivers who buy a car new and then trade it in after three years incur a cost of as much as 50% in depreciation.

Size is important Buy as small as you can for your day to day needs. You may decide you need a big car because you have relatives that live over 400 miles away. If you only visit them twice a year however, and most of your driving is done in a 50-mile radius a big car may be inefficient. By buying a smaller car for the majority of driving and renting a bigger car for the long trips you will save money.

Consider sharing a car Many people now have an informal arrangement with friends or neighbours, but Car Clubs offer a slick, money-saving and green alternative to private car ownership. If you drive less than 6,000 miles per year it is claimed a car club could save you up to £3,500 a year. Many people don’t notice the true costs of running a car, but when you add up the cost of tax, MOT, fuel, servicing, repairs, depreciation and parking you could be looking at over a hundred pounds a week. Calculate the amount you are spending by using our online car cost calculator

The concept of the car club is evolving. With petrol prices in Britain at record levels, it is with impeccable timing that WhipCar.com, a neighbour-to-neighbour car rental service, has launched in London.

WhipCar acts as a mediator between car owners wanting to reduce their running costs and people who want to borrow a car for hours or days at a time.

Need a car? Rent the one next door

The WhipCar model bears a similarity to eBay; those wishing to offer their car for rent set the price themselves and advertise it online, leaving and receiving feedback at the end of the transaction.

WhipCar screens all cars and drivers and provides a fully-comprehensive insurance policy that protects both the owner and the hirer’s no-claims discount in the event of a crash.

This will be an environmentally-friendly alternative to car ownership for some, and with running costs running to thousands of pounds a year it makes financial sense for existing owners, too.

Buy a fuel-efficient car The fuel economy of similar-sized cars using the same type of fuel can vary by as much as 45%. The ETA’s Green Car Buyer’s Guide gives an accurate assessment of all cars on the market.

Petrol or diesel?

Diesel engines are more fuel efficient and as a result emit less carbon, but the soot contained within the exhaust is bad for human health, especially the young and elderly in urban areas.

Half an hour of sniffing diesel fumes in a busy city street is enough to induce a “stress response” in the brain, according to scientists who measured volunteers. The response continued to increase even after they had stopped breathing the fumes. Previous studies in rats have shown that minuscule soot particles can make their way directly to the brain via nerves in the nose.

There is a popular belief that due to their lower average CO2 emissions, diesels are better for the planet. Unfortunately it appears that it is people, particularly those in built-up areas that may be paying the price.

Certain diesel cars are now available with a diesel particualte filter (DPF)that completely removes all trace of particulates from the exhaust.

The technology is offered by most of the major manufacturers and is known by various different terms including Bluemotion and Ecotec.

Green your driving style

Eco driving	… at a glance
Take it smooth	Avoiding harsh acceleration and braking saves fuel and reduces wear and tear – it leaves you feeling more relaxed, too
Anticipate	By looking as far as possible up the road it’s possible to reduce stop/start driving, thereby reducing fuel consumption and making you a safer driver into the bargain
Shed weight	Remove unnecessary clutter from your car and you will use less fuel
Improve your aerodynamics	If you don’t regularly use your roof rack or top box, remove it as it’s reducing the efficiency of your car

• Where possible drive with the windows up to reduce drag and make your fuel consumption more efficient.
• Try not to be in a hurry. Stressed driving can be erratic and is uneconomical. Simply relax and try to enjoy the trip.
• Try not to beat the lights. The chances are that if you hit a red light and then try to beat all the following lights, you will rush but miss them anyway. If you drive at a more sedate speed you will usually find that by the time you reach the next light it will have turned green again.
• Air conditioning should be limited as it uses more fuel.
• Switch off the engine if you think you will stationary for more than two minutes.
• Keep your speed down as driving at 50-60 mph means your emissions will be lowest. Driving over 70mph will rapidly increase your emissions. It can cost you up to 25% more in fuel to drive at 70mph compared to 50mph.
• Avoid unnecessary revving or idling of the engine as this uses more fuel.
  Harsh acceleration and braking can use up to 30% more fuel and can cause increased wear and tear on the vehicle.
• Control your speed Speed limits are there to be observed, but did you know that travelling at less than 15mph creates the most pollution? As your speed increases up to 60mph, your level of pollution decreases. Travelling over 60mph increases your level of pollution again.
• Careful motorway driving will improve safety and traffic flow. The concertina effect caused by one motorist braking sharply often results in traffic slowing to a near stop due to the delayed reaction of drivers behind. If we try to observe the car three or four ahead and give ourselves some distance from the car in front we can anticipate and judge the necessary speed. When you see a car brake up ahead, simply remove your foot from the accelerator. By the time you get close to the car in front the chances are that they will have speeded up. You can almost make yourself responsible for stopping the concertina.