Environmentally Conscious Driving

Road transport is estimated to contribute about 1/5 of the carbon dioxide produced. This carbon dioxide is a direct result of fuel combustion in our vehicles and is a major contributor towards the greenhouse effect. Unfortunately, personal and business transport have evolved into an essential part of modern living. On the flip side, however, today's modern vehicles do much less damage to the environment as compared to earlier models.

However, as responsible motorists, there is still a lot that we can do to lessen the damage to the environment. For example, do you know that journeys of less than a few miles cause a relatively larger amount of pollution? Also, a straining cold engine produces 60% more pollution than a warm engine. Therefore, that quick run to the mini market down the road will cause more environ mental damage. Consider walking or cycling for these short journeys and enjoy the extra bonuses that the exercise will bring. Other environmental damage limitation strategies include:

1. Plan your journey. Choose the most direct route. Whenever possible, drive during off-peak hours. Both these preventive measures will save you a lot of wear and tear on the car and on the driver. If it is practical, give car sharing a thought. Single-driver vehicles are still the major contributors to the traffic congestion in our cities.
   
2. Reduce drag. Remove as much unnecessary weight as possible including luggage and heavy accessories such as roof racks and carriers. Bear in mind that wide tyres also add rolling resistance.
   
3. Smooth use of speed. Keeping to the average speed of traffic avoids fuel-wasting harsh acceleration and braking. You can try to 'feather' the gas pedal as you reach cruising speed, but trying to save fuel by coasting is never a good idea, as vehicle control must never be compromised.
   
4. Road-worthy vehicles. Badly serviced engines reduce fuel economy by 10% or more. The correct tyre pressure also keeps wear and tear down and helps promote fuel economy.

Article contributed by AAM