eco-driving; 3 tips to reduce your organisation's carbon footprint

It's important to improve safety at work, but did you know that it can also reduce your carbon footprint? It's called Eco-Driving, an important initiative to implement because your workers' behaviour is THE major contributor to fuel usage.

What is eco-driving?
Eco-driving is a style that includes maintaining low and steady RPM (revolutions per minute), less speeding, less overtaking and less aggression.

Did you know? Eco-Drivers:

• use 20% less fuel (compared to harsh drivers)
• have a 25% lower crash rate

Source: NRSPP Thought Leadership Paper 'The Interface Between Eco-Driving and Safe Driving'

How to become an Eco-Driver
The essence of Eco-Driving can be condensed into one word; smooth. The mind-set to achieve 'smooth' being 'flow'. Easier said than done. It takes conscious, consistent care and attention. Habits that will help drivers flow with traffic are:

• Accelerate smoothly;  use momentum efficiently and brake earlier. In built-up areas nearly 40% of fuel consumption can be attributed to acceleration.
  
  
• Cruise whenever possible, it can make a big impact. When driving at a constant speed of 50km/h, a typical passenger cars only needs 5% of its engine power to maintain momentum.
  
  
• Avoid tailgating; it makes it harder to what's ahead and therefore it's more difficult to anticipate what's about to happen. This can lead to harsh and/or frequent braking events that rob you of momentum. As a guideline to help you avoid tailgating try to leave a 2 to 3-second gap between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. Add a further second or two if the road conditions are slippery.

Encouraging and instilling Eco-Driving behaviours across an organisation takes time. If you'd like to discuss the mechanisms that support this process then please feel welcome to get in touch.