Thursday, 20 November, 2008

Why is driving harmful to our environment?

Is there anything I can do to reduce the impact of driving?

The best way to minimize the impact of driving is to reduce fuel consumption. The way you drive and the condition of your car can influence this. Below are some tips for driving more efficiently:

Ask yourself, do I have to drive?

Depending on where you are and where you want to go, alternative methods of transport such as walking, cycling, public transport or car pooling may be a better alternative. Ask yourself this question before you jump in the car.  If you do use cycling as an alternative to your car, Secure Parking offers bike parking at a wide range of our car parks.

Consider the type of car you drive?

If you are thinking of buying a new car, consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle or the smallest and most fuel efficient car available that meets your needs. With rising fuel costs, this choice is not only considerate to the environment, but to your wallet as well.

The Australian Green Car Guide can help you make the choice which is right for you.

Planning your car trip

When you do need to drive, plan ahead

• Reduce your weekly car trips by getting as many errands done in the one trip as practical (Vehicles are least fuel efficient and most polluting at the start of trips and on short trips).
• When planning your trip consider where you are going to park and which route to take. Avoiding ‘cruising’ for parking and wrong turns will result in a less stressful trip and reduce kilometers travelled.  You can use the Route Calculator, located on every one of our car park web pages.
• The time of day you drive can also have a significant impact on fuel use. Peak hour or slow moving traffic can delay your trip and stop-start traffic reduces the efficiency of your vehiclel. If you live in a city, driving before 7 or after 9 in the morning and before 3.30 or after 7 in the afternoon will help avoid slow moving traffic.

Car Sharing

If you don’t have a vehicle or own one but use it infrequently, car sharing may be an option for you. There are now a number of car share companies available that allow you to book a car inexpensively for a few hours at a time. The costs of maintenance and insurance are covered in the fees you pay so is less expensive that owning your own. Some services also include the cost of petrol in the booking fee, further reducing your costs.

Drive smoothly & easy on the accelerator

Stop/start driving is much less efficient and more polluting than driving at a constant speed. Avoid travelling during peak-hours and on congested roads whenever possible.

Take it easy on the accelerator - more revs equals more petrol use. Drive at a good distance from the car in front so you can avoid unnecessary acceleration and frequent repetitive braking that ends up wasting fuel. If you see traffic stoppages ahead, first take your foot off the accelerator and let the engine's drop in power slow the vehicle, particularly by also changing to a lower gear. Don't continue to drive at the same speed and applying the brakes at the last minute. Getting back to cruising speed while the car is still moving uses far less petrol than stopping and then starting again.

Drive in the right gear

Driving in a gear lower than you need wastes fuel, and letting the engine labour in top gear on hills and corners is also wasteful. In a manual vehicle, change up gears as soon as the car is comfortable with the higher gear but without accelerating harder than necessary.

Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum. Avoid the use of power options which drop the car into a lower gear and therefore use more fuel.

Avoid idling and wasting fuel

Most cars don't need to be "warmed up" by idling before setting off. This simply wastes fuel. Start your car when you are ready to go. Once on the road, minimise fuel wasted in idling by stopping the engine whenever your car is stopped or held up for an extended period of time. By having the engine switched off, even for a short period, you will save more fuel than is lost from the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine.

Don’t speed

Fuel consumption increases significantly over about 90 km/h. At 110 km/h your car uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than it would cruising at 90 km/h. If your car is fitted with cruise control, using it during highway driving will help to maintain a steadier speed, which will save fuel.

Minimize drag

Additional parts on the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window open, increases air resistance and fuel consumption, in some cases by over 20 per cent at higher speeds. Take off roof and bike racks when not in use. If you have to use roof racks, load them carefully to help minimise wind resistance or use a streamlined roof box.

Look after your tyres

Inflate your vehicle's tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacture and make sure your wheels are properly aligned. Looking after your tyres will not only reduce your fuel consumption it will also extend tyre life and improve handling.

Use airconditioning sparingly

Airconditioners can use about 10 per cent extra fuel when operating. However, at speeds of over 80 km/h, use of airconditioning is better for fuel consumption than an open window as this creates aerodynamic drag. If it is hotter inside your car than outside when you start a trip, drive with the windows down for a few minutes to help cool the car before starting the air conditioning.

Travel light

The more weight a vehicle carries, the more fuel it uses. Leave heavy items like tools and sports equipment at home when you don't need them on a trip.

Regularly maintain your vehicle

Keep your vehicle well tuned and regularly maintained. Get your car serviced at the intervals specified in the manufacturer's handbook.

Use the petrol that is recommended for your vehicle by the manufacturer. If you use regular unleaded in a car designed to run on premium unleaded you can expect slightly less performance and fractionally higher consumption. Using premium unleaded petrol in a car designed for regular unleaded may give better fuel consumption in some newer vehicles but it is unlikely to offset the extra cost of the fuel.

Carbon offsets