How you could gear up to save £200 a year through changing your driving

MOTORISTS could save at least £200 a year by greener driving, according to a new Scottish Government-backed campaign to cut fuel use and emissions.

Drivers will be urged to adopt fuel saving tips such as using higher gears and switching off their engines at traffic lights.

It is also hoped the three-year initiative, costing £1.5 million, will help ministers meet ambitious climate change targets.

The campaign aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 tonnes – the equivalent of taking 275,000 cars, or one in eight, off the road for a year.

The Energy Saving Trust, which is spearheading the move, said "eco-driving" could save motorists one tank of fuel a month. It estimated average annual savings of £200 to £250, and up to £500 for the highest-mileage drivers.

The group said this could be achieved by simple tips such as driving more smoothly, keeping to speed limits and checking tyre pressures.

Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister, who launched the campaign in Edinburgh yesterday, said: "Adopting greener, more environmentally-friendly driving styles can not only help Scotland reach our world-leading climate change ambitions, but it can also help people save money through reduced fuel and maintenance costs."

Ministers want to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

Mr Stevenson said the campaign would be closely evaluated. He said: "We will be watching this very carefully to see that the message gets through, is acted on and is sustained."

Mike Thornton, the director of the trust in Scotland, said: "We are aiming for eco-driving to become a normal driving habit."

A poll commissioned by the trust showed more than half of motorists questioned admitted the way they drove harmed the environment, but nine in ten would alter their behaviour if it saved them money. The Institute of Advanced Motorists' Motoring Trust, said: "We welcome this new campaign with its direct appeal to a driver's wallet.

"Fuel prices may be low today, but they will go up again and changes made now on driving style will bring long-term benefits to the environment as well as household budgets."

However, the Association of British Drivers dismissed the campaign as "trite and over-simplified".

Bruce Young, its Lothian and Borders co-ordinator, said: "We generally agree with driving more economically, but think it is more important to drive with consideration for other road users, according to the conditions ahead, and to minimise congestion.

"While it is more economical to drive at a steady speed, it is not true that slower is more efficient."

Top ten tips on how to get the most from your fuel tank

1 SHIFT to a higher gear as soon as possible. Driving at lower engine speeds reduces fuel consumption. Change up between 2,000 and 2,500rpm.

2 DRIVE more smoothly by anticipating road conditions. Think and look further ahead.

Rather than last-minute braking, decelerate smoothly by easing off the throttle as early as possible. This allows the car to slow down using engine braking. With the car in gear and the throttle released, modern cars use no fuel at all.

This form of braking is also smoother on the car and its occupants.

3 MAINTAIN a steady speed in as high a gear as possible. Driving at a steady speed requires little effort for the engine. Avoiding unnecessary acceleration and heavy braking helps to reduce your fuel consumption.

4 DRIVE a little slower than your normal speed. Stick to the speed limits and make your fuel go further. For most cars the most efficient speed is 45-50mph. Driving at 50mph, rather than 70mph, reduces your fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent.

5 SWITCH off rather than idle if you're stationary for more than a minute. When stuck in traffic or waiting at traffic lights, switch off your engine. Switching off in appropriate situations can soon lead to significant savings.

6 KEEP your tyres at optimum pressures. Both over-inflated and under-inflated tyres lead to dangerous road-holding and also cause excessive drag. As a result, they increase fuel consumption hugely.

7 SWITCH off air-conditioning unless absolutely necessary, or use it with the recirculation system on. Use the system sparingly, as your engine has to work harder to make its machinery work. If driving at low speed, open the window.

8 CLOSE your windows if travelling at 50mph or more. The aerodynamic drag on your car of an open window at speeds of 50mph or more can add to your fuel usage.

9 REMOVE roof boxes and roof racks if not being used. You are hindering the aerodynamics of your car. Adding a roof box or rack can increase drag, engine workload and fuel usage.

Spanish research on a car's fuel economy found a large roof box at motorway speeds could increase consumption by up to 39 per cent.

10 REMOVE excessive weight that is not needed. Carrying heavy items, such as large tool kits and golf clubs in the boot, increases fuel consumption.

• Source: Energy Saving Trust

It's so easy to squeeze out extra 17 miles from a gallon of fuel

IT'S all about anticipation, writes Alastair Dalton. Like realising that taking that corner in fourth gear was inadvisable. And that if I had noticed the bus lane looming up ahead, I would not have had to brake while a van overtook me.

I am taking my first driving lesson for 20 years, however it's not "mirror, signal, manoeuvre" I'm concentrating on but how to minimise fuel use.

Bobby Russell, my instructor, reckons it is very simple – limit how hard the engine works by looking ahead and adjusting your driving accordingly.

But it's not easy in an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar streets in northern Edinburgh, and I find myself braking unnecessarily harshly as I approach roundabouts and junctions.

Mr Russell asks me to "scan and plan" – the far distance, middle distance and near foreground – so I can anticipate the road layout and other traffic. Entirely logical.

Then he throws me completely: "Have you tried block gear changing?" I discover I can save fuel by missing out gears when accelerating and slowing down, such as going from first up to third, and fifth down to second. Only miss one gear out while going up, he adds.

Driving in as high a gear as possible is another eco-driving tip, but I had thought I'd need to be doing at least 40mph to be in fifth. But no, Mr Russell says, on a level road, try it at 30mph – a judder from the engine tells you when you need to change down. To my surprise, it works fine.

The tips produced a surprising increase in fuel economy, while I also found I had marginally increased my average speed.

On a three-mile route devised by Mr Russell round Newhaven and Granton, I managed 36mpg the first time round, but, with my brain engaged to eco-drive, it shot up to a pleasing 53mpg.

Now it's just a matter of remembering to click back into that mindset the next time I'm running late…