Even if some drivers do not accept environmental arguments for reducing the impact of their vehicles then they should embrace the hard economic arguments, according to the AA President addressing the Fleet News Green Summit today.
Edmund King, AA President will tell the conference that the arguments for greater fuel efficiency in car fleets are more pertinent due to the global economic situation and the increasing cost of fuel. King will point to a number of areas where savings can be made.
Using good satellite navigation can reduce the distance driven by 16%, driving time by 18% and fuel consumption by 15%, by taking more direct routes and preventing drivers getting lost1.
If the system uses live traffic information to avoid congestion, this saves a further 14% of driving time on congested roads. These benefits from more efficient vehicle use are cumulative. With fleet management, navigation and traffic information working hand-in-hand, there is the potential to reduce overall fuel consumption by 28% and reduce driving time by 32%.
These benefits help costs and the environment.
Other things that help greener motoring include: driver training, gear shift indicators, tyre pressure monitoring systems, procurement, employee incentives, travel plans and green labelling of new and used cars. King will also point to an AA/Populus panel survey of 18,500 drivers to indicate that individual drivers as well as businesses care about these issues.
- 62% – would buy a more fuel efficient car
- 60% – would implement Eco-driving
- 51% – would take advantage of discounts to buy greener cars
- 28% – would use incentive scheme to scrap older cars
- 3% – would give up their cars
- 7% – would take none of the measures above
- 57% – believe the AA should campaign to reduce the environmental impact of cars
- AA/Populus Panel – 18,500
Drivers who do not accept the green arguments for considering car use should consider the economic arguments. A clean, green car can be lean and mean. Drivers can save money and reduce CO2 emissions by choosing the right vehicle and adapting the way they drive. Attitudes are changing. Today drivers don’t just consider the 0 – 60 mph acceleration rates but are choosing fuel efficiency and safety.
“Technology can help us – Sat Nav and congestion avoidance systems can save us a third of our driving time and more than a quarter of our fuel.”
