On The Road

Environmentally-friendly driving

19/10/2011 Office of Road Safety

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As well as being great for the environment, which helps us all enjoy the ride for longer and in better health; eco friendly driving is great for the back pocket – and anything to reduce wallet stress is going to make you more relaxed.

The RAC (WA) has a range of suggestions to help you be a more environmentally friendly driver, and here are four areas you can tackle to reduce your carbon footprint:  

At the check out

• Take the environmental performance of a car into consideration when you are choosing what to buy - a more efficient, greener car will cost less to run as well as being better for the environment. Check out the Federal Government’s Green Vehicle Guide for an easy-to-understand star rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of new car models.
• Choose an appropriate sized car for your needs – if you do a school run in the car on rainy days or only drive to work on Tuesdays, consider getting a small car. If you only occasionally take a 4WD holiday, consider buying a small sedan and renting a 4WD for holidays, rather than making it your every day vehicle.

Weigh it up

• Extra weight increases the consumption of fuel as does increased air resistance - driving with 100kg of unnecessary onboard weight leads to a significant decrease in fuel efficiency of around 6 per cent on a medium class car.
• Check for unnecessary items in the boot of the car, such as luggage or overly large goods.
• Modern cars are built with aerodynamics in mind, so a rooftop storage option can increase consumption by 20 per cent.

Mindful driving

• A well-planned journey will allow you to get to your destination in the quickest and easiest way (without the stresses of getting lost or driving in circles), saving on unnecessary fuel emissions - ten minutes of unnecessary driving in a one-hour trip results in a 14 per cent decrease in fuel efficiency.
• For short journeys see if it is possible to cycle, use public transport or walk.
• Fitting a Global Positioning System (GPS) in your car can allow you to know in advance the easiest route to a set destination.

Consider your needs

• Avoid setting air-conditioning to cold, as it uses a lot of power - when the outdoor temperature is 25°C, air-conditioning decreases fuel efficiency by 12 per cent.
• When it is safe to do so, opening the windows in town driving is more efficient than using air-conditioning. However, the opposite is true when driving at high speed due to air resistance.
• Other in car devices, such as high-powered sound systems, also increase consumption.