Ensure smarter driving

Smarter driving and eco-safe driving is the key goal for business; improving road safety, saving the environment and, ultimately, delivering fleet operating cost reductions.

Put simply, the aim of every business must be to encourage company car and van drivers to anticipate what is ahead of them on the road and drive as smoothly as possible, avoiding harsh acceleration and aggressive braking.

But whilst it’s common sense - and has even been introduced to the ‘L’ test - it is clear that smarter driving, within a few minutes of taking to the road, is not at the forefront of the minds of most drivers behind the wheel.

But, if drivers realised that by adopting a smarter driving philosophy they would probably arrive at their destination quicker, complete the journey more safely, cause less pollution and reduce their motoring costs at the same time, maybe mindsets would change.

The three key benefits of smarter driving are:

Financial savings
Environmental benefits
An improved fleet and driver risk profile

It is to further encourage such an attitude that ALD Automotive, in conjunction with Fleet World has been the joint organiser andl sponsor of the MPG Marathon (www.mpgmarathon.com), which promotes smarter driving.

Facts:

On a 100-mile motorway trip smart driving a medium-sized car can cut fuel consumption by almost 33%, saving around a gallon of fuel (1)
By adopting a smart-style of driving an experienced driver can cut fuel bills by 6%, a driver with just a few years experience can cut fuel bills by 9% and a newly qualified driver by 15% (2)
Adopting smarter driving techniques could see motorists individually saving £200-£250 by cutting fuel use by an average 15% a year and collectively save more than £5 billion per year (3)

Scenario

Energy Savings Trust predicts individual savings of £200-£250 per driver per year.
Assuming UK average vehicle fuel consumption is 35.5 mpg (source: AA), fuel costs an average 122p a litre and car covers 20,000 miles pa, cost of fuel = £3,124.64. For a fleet of 100 cars the fuel bill = £312,464 pa
Saving the maximum £250 per driver would trim fuel bill to £2,874.64 per driver. For a fleet of 100 cars = £287,464 - a saving of £25,000 pa
If fleet travels at 80 mph fuel bills could escalate by £78,000

The issue:

Driving smoothly and avoiding harsh braking and acceleration has many benefits identified by The Department for Transport-backed Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) initiative (4) as:

Fewer injuries and fatalities
Less unproductive downtime
Reduced driver stress levels
Improved residual values of vehicles
Less accident damage to vehicles
Potential reductions in insurance premiums
Greater vehicle sympathy resulting in reduced vehicle wear and tear bills.

To that list of largely health and safety-related attributes can be added a number of other environmental-related benefits delivered via fuel savings and emission reductions.

However, driving smartly always needs to be balanced with appropriate and safe driving practice. For example, driving in 4^th or 5^th gear in a 30 mph zone may use less fuel and hence reduce emissions but it will also provide less vehicle control by reducing a driver’s ability to manoeuvre quickly in the event of an unexpected hazard.

So, smarter driving is about ‘control’ and using vehicle controls as smoothly as possible, with particular attention to starting and moving away, accelerating, using the gears and driving at an appropriate speed which, collectively, will reduce vehicle wear and tear and help reduce CO₂ emissions

Smarter driving is also about ‘planning’, which means reducing harmful emissions by anticipating road traffic conditions and acting in good time, rather than reacting to them at the last moment, especially: showing hazard awareness and planning, making use of engine braking and stopping the engine when appropriate (6).

Top tips for smart driving

1. Hazard Awareness - early recognition of potential hazards will mean that you are travelling at the correct speed. This will help avoid harsh braking or acceleration and avoid unnecessary stopping.
2. Choosing your speed - always observe the speed limit. Exceeding a speed limit by only a few miles an hour will mean you use much more fuel.
3. Starting and driving away - avoid revving your engine when you start your vehicle and try to pull away smoothly.
4. The accelerator - try and use the accelerator smoothly and progressively. When appropriate take your foot off the accelerator and allow the momentum of the car to take you forward.
5. Selecting gears - it’s not always necessary to change up or down through each gear, try skipping gears. However, as soon as conditions allow, use the highest possible gear, without making the engine struggle. Change into a higher gears at the most economical point, this means at around 2,500 rpm in petrol cars and 2,000 rpm in diesel cars
6. Engine braking - with your foot fully off the accelerator the engine needs very little fuel so take advantage of engine braking when possible.
7. Engine power - modern engines are very sophisticated and deliver power even when the revs are low. You’ll find that you can make use of higher gears at lower speeds.
8. Route planning - plan your route and avoid known hold-ups and road works. Always know where you’re going - you’ll use a lot of fuel by getting lost.
9. Roof Racks - reduce turbulence and wind resistance by removing roof racks, roof boxes and cycle racks after use.
10. Service and vehicle checks - your vehicle should be serviced and maintained regularly. You need to check your tyres regularly, under inflated tyres increases fuel consumption.

Source: Driving Standards Agency

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has also published a ‘Drive Green - Drive Safely’ booklet that outlines 10 ways to cut fuel costs and vehicle emissions by 15-20% (5).

How ProFleet2 can help:

The business of fleet management is a complex one, with many elements competing for attention but by using ProFleet2 fleet decision-makers can keep of the need for smarter driving firmly in focus and not allow it to drop off their radar.

Fleet decision-makers can drill down on any journey undertaken and, via a standard suite of reports, can access driver profiling data such as vehicle speed, acceleration and deceleration, idle times and gear ratios, etc.

Meanwhile, with detailed logs of every journey undertaken, along with the carbon emissions created by those trips, companies can calculate their business mileage carbon footprint.

As a result, ProFleet2 delivers enhanced fleet management, efficient environmental management through reduced fuel costs and emissions, and savings in vehicle wear and tear costs due to a more sympathetic driving style.