Fuel cost puts brakes on bad driving habits
Published Monday, 13th October 2008
The sight of boy racers revving their Vauxhall Nova engines at the traffic lights may soon become a thing of the past. Research claims 85 percent of drivers have changed their driving styles to become more efficient and are considering hybrid cars to save on costs and the environment.
The Tiscali motoring study found British drivers are more fuel efficiency aware than ever before with 40 per cent switching from driving to alternative methods of transport over the last six months.
Those who remain behind the wheel are adjusting their driving styles to maximise their miles per gallon, with 85 per cent taking measures to conserve fuel. Of those polled, 54 per cent are minimising aggressive braking and acceleration and 31 per cent are driving more slowly to ensure they conserve fuel.
Fuel efficiency is the most important factor in picking a new car, with 82 per cent saying that it would be a major element in choosing their next car and 72 per cent saying they would consider a hybrid or electric car to help lower their fuel costs and lessen their impact on the environment.
However, there are currently a number of factors preventing drivers from moving over to greener alternatives, with two thirds saying they are too expensive and nearly a third (27 per cent) saying there isn’t enough choice.
In spite of increased fuel prices, the study found that nearly two thirds of respondents won’t drive more than two miles to fill up on cheaper fuel.
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There is a common misconception that green (read electric) vehicles are more expensive; this is not so, in fact the running costs are so low the EVs practically pay for themselves in the long run. Perhaps there is some merit in the argument that there is not much choice among EVs. Yet. But that seems set to change in the very near future.