Ways to drive in a greener way

There are several methods that you can employ to ensure that you drive in a green way. The advantages of this are that you consume less fuel pro rata so it is good for your bank balance too, and driving well and smoothly is also good for the longevity of your vehicle too, helping to preserve its value for longer, so it makes sense all round to drive in a green fashion.

The key rule is that if you drive in a smooth manner and at a slower speed then you will reduce your fuel usage. Of course you should not drive slower than it is safe to do so, sometimes driving too slowly is dangerous.

You should avoid harsh movements like suddenly zooming off or whacking on the breaks (harsh acceleration or deceleration in other words), and you should ensure that you stick to the speed limits. The higher the speed the more fuel you are on average going to use to cover the same distance of ground.

Remember to change gears at the correct time, as this will save fuel and reduce emissions. The recommended way to do this is to look at the revs, and to change up a gear when the rev counter hits 2,500 RPM for petrol cars.

Finally there are common sense rules that many ignore - such as leaving the engine on when you are waiting several minutes to pick someone up - if you don't want the green side of it then imagine that you are burning money which is what you are doing in the form of the fuel that costs money - switch the engine off; and also don't start the engine before you intend to drive off. Many start the engine then sit there for a minute or two fiddling with the radio, mirrors etc - do that before you switch the engine on then go!

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