Driving strategies that can help the planet

Changing weather patterns are affecting people and industry with an increased amount of severe weather events causing devastation around the globe.

Climate change threatens people with food and water scarcity, increased flooding, extreme heat, more disease and economic loss, so what can you do to help when it comes to motoring and driving?

The obvious answer is to switch to a lower-emission vehicle but if affordability is an issue, you can still help by adopting RACQ's eco-driving techniques which can reduce both your fuel bills and your carbon dioxide emissions.

Eco-driving covers driving style, vehicle maintenance and trip planning actions to reduce fuel consumption.

How you drive your car, keep it maintained and when and where you drive, will have an impact on vehicle emissions.

It will also save you on how much you spend on fuel.

Simple driving techniques can save you money and the environment.

• Watch ahead and drive smoothly, scan the road for obstacles and drive smoothly around them.
• Brake and accelerate gently – ease off the accelerator pedal and start to slow down early when approaching traffic lights and intersections.
• Avoid stop-start driving.
• Use the right gear for the conditions.
• In a manual, drive in the highest gear that is practical and keep the revs as low as possible.
• In an automatic, keep a light touch on the pedal and accelerate gently as this will encourage your car to stay in higher gears.
• Shift through the gears as quickly as possible – higher gears and lower revs use less fuel.
• For petrol cars, try to stay in the 2000 to 2500 rpm range (or 1500 to 2000 rpm for diesel cars).
• Maintain a steady cruise speed on highways and use cruise control where appropriate.
• When safe, keep your highway speed at 90km/h.
• Turn off your engine when parked, even if you’re only stopping for a few minutes.
• When driving under 80km/h, try driving with the windows open rather than running the air conditioner.
• When driving above 80km/h close the windows and use the airconditioner.
• At speeds above 80km/h the drag from the open windows will use more fuel than the airconditioner.

Other things to consider include keeping your tyres at the correct pressure, reducing weight by removing unnecessary items and having your vehicle serviced regularly to ensure it’s running at it’s optimum.

You could also consider catching public transport, cycling, walking or taking a personal mobility device like an e-scooter instead of the car.

Even though buying an EV might not be in your budget, there are still things you can do to help battle climate change.

Click here to learn more about eco-driving