The easiest way for us to reduce our environmental impact is to use less non-renewable energy in the first place. So when pondering a journey, our first question should always be; 'Do I really need to make this journey at all?' If we decide this has to be 'yes', then we can ask ourselves 'Can I make it without using the car?' or 'Can I share the journey with others?'

Given that there are times when we are still likely to choose to drive, there are some simple measures that we can take to reduce our fuel consumption & subsequently our impact upon the environment:

Your vehicle

• Use the smallest, lightest vehicle available for the purpose. Check fuel use before buying as similar models of cars can vary by as much as 25%.
• Record miles per gallon or 10 litres & investigate the cause if this figure drops significantly over time.
• Have a catalytic converter fitted to cut emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons & nitrous oxides when travelling over five miles. Unfortunately converters do nothing to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (the chief global warming gas), are usually only guaranteed for 50,000 miles & use scarce precious metals.
• Know that automatic transmission can add 10-15% to fuel use & that air conditioning uses an average 15% more fuel.
• Consider buying a fuel efficiency device. An Ecoflow magnet for instance can save 10-20% on fuel by improving burn efficiency & pay for itself within months.
• Streamlining kits & aerodynamic styling cuts fuel consumption (assuming of course that it doesn't tempt you to drive faster!).
• Remove Roof racks - the wind resistance dramatically increases fuel consumption.

Good choices

• Drive less, particularly for short trips, as a cold car engine produces 60% more fumes & uses more fuel than when warm.
• Plan journeys in advance. Avoid congested areas and so reduce travel time. Only travel in the rush hour if you absolutely have to. Time shift your journey; a twenty minute delay could make all the difference to time in the car.
• Consider planning as many jobs as possible in one trip . Aim to get as much as you can out of the journey. Five jobs in one trip is better for the environment than five trips!
• Join at least one car-sharing group & post your regular & planned one-off journeys with them. As well as saving fuel & money for both parties, car-sharing can be the seed of good friendships too.
• Weight - reduce weight, and fuel consumption, by simply removing unnecessary items from your car that do not need to be there for a particular journey. These can include buggies, golf clubs, tools, footwear and so on.

Driving habits

• Start the engine only when ready to go & set off immediately. Avoid revving up & push in a manual choke as soon as possible.
• Control your speed as travelling at less than 15mph creates the most pollution. As your speed increases up to 60mph your level of pollution decreases. Travelling over 60mph increases your level of pollution again. 40-55 mph is the most economical speed. At 70 mph you use up to 30% more fuel than at 50 mph. Drive steadily & read the road to manouevre smoothly.
• Harsh acceleration and braking can use up to 30% more fuel and can cause increased wear and tear on the vehicle, especially brake pads & tyres.
• Get in the right gear, preferably top. Change before 2,500 revs per minute.
• Avoid idling. Shut off the engine when standing still for one minute or more.
• Where possible drive with the windows up to reduce drag and make your fuel consumption more efficient.
• Try not to be in a hurry. Stressed driving can be erratic and is uneconomical. Simply relax and try to enjoy the trip.
• Try not to beat the lights. The chances are that if you hit a red light and then try to beat all the following lights, you will rush but miss them anyway. If you drive at a more sedate speed you will usually find that by the time you reach the next light it will have turned green again.

Maintenance

• Check tyres monthly. A 7psi under-inflation wastes half a gallon per tank & will wear out your tyres faster.
• Have your car serviced at least every year, or each 10,000 miles, to ensure the engine is properly tuned. Get the emissions & the catalytic converter checked. 90% of badly polluting vehicles can be retuned at a garage within 15 minutes.
• Refuelling - avoid overfilling the tank as spilled fuel evaporates and releases harmful emissions.

Many of these fuel saving tips come from 'Cutting your car use' by Anna Semlyen. Green Books 2000 & the ETA's website.