Whilst environmental awareness has continued to grow in the last few years, we often think of it more in terms of the home than in other situations. However, there are also a great many ways that we can become more ‘green’ in terms of how we travel. If you’d like to do a little bit more to help reduce your economic footprint when on the move, then keep reading: these tips – or visit comparethemarket.com.au for even more help and advice. In the meantime let begin with a few pointers:
Get rid of the junk in the trunk. Many people are surprised when told that by filling up their car with things they don’t really need, they are forcing it to use up far more fuel than it would if the boot were empty. Eliminating weight from your car is, therefore, a great way of reducing your fuel usage almost instantly, and it’s a change that anyone with a car can make straight away.
Care for your tyres. If you drive a lot, then not maintaining your tyres can rack up maintenance costs incredibly quickly. This is for two reasons: firstly, tyres that aren’t inflated to the necessary amount have a negative effect on fuel efficiency. The best analogy we’ve ever heard for this is that it’s like ‘trying to roll a bean bag up a hill’ – it takes a ton of energy! A properly inflated tyre, though, is like rolling a ball up a hill – far easier.
Improve your driving. Whilst this tip isn’t going to impress Clarkson (and thank God for that), changing the way you drive can have a massive impact on your fuel usage, making you both a more environmentally friendly driver as well as a safer one! Drivers that pursue high speeds, brake hard and accelerate rapidly use up as much as 33 per cent more fuel than those who drive safely, and change speeds in a gentler, more fluid manner. Use momentum rather than the gas pedal to accelerate, and try to avoid slamming on the brakes. You’ll save an absolute packet, and you’ll be doing your bit for the planet, too.
The Car Pool. Though it might sound like a bad sitcom, the car pool is actually a great way to help cut down on fuel use. Essentially, a group of people will share a car, with those hitching a lift contributing towards petrol costs. If four people do so, then they all get to the same place, but use 75 per cent less fuel. Oh, and it costs them all less money, too.
Trade your car in. Whilst this is a choice more likely to appeal to super-hardcore ‘green’ people, there’s no denying that trading in your 8L beamer for a Prius really is going to mean that you make a big contribution to the environment. At low speeds or in stop and go traffic, cars like the Prius are powered by an electric motor, meaning that their gas usage and pollutant emissions are essentially nothing. Yup: nothing.
