10 hints for low-energy driving

For many of us, cars are indispensable, even though they are not the most earth-wise form of transport. By modifying your driving habits, you can lessen your car's impact on the environment and save money along the way.

Avoid accelerating and braking unnecessarily and use your gears to help you slow down. Speeding up and slowing down (between traffic lights, for instance) waste fuel. To drive smoothly, you need to become more alert to road conditions and anticipate traffic flow. If you can work out what's about to happen on the road ahead, you won't be caught by surprise.

Leave a reasonable distance between your car and the vehicle in front. If the other car changes its speed, you should have enough space and time to take your foot off the accelerator and slow down without braking, or to accelerate gently and smoothly to keep up with the traffic flow.

Pretend there's an egg between your foot and the pedals – doing so will help you to press on them more gently. Braking and accelerating sharply wastes fuel.

If your car is a manual, shift up through the gears as soon as possible to avoid the coughing or chugging sound that indicates the engine is strained. Driving in top gear is much more economical than driving in a lower gear.

This top gear (usually the fifth) enables the drive shaft to turn faster than the engine crankshaft, thus allowing the engine to run more slowly. This, in turn, will save fuel and reduce engine wear and noise.

At 110 kilometres per hour (68 miles per hour), your car uses up to 25 percent more fuel than it would cruising along at 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour).

If you run your car's cooling system on a hot day in city driving conditions, you'll increase your fuel consumption by about 15 percent. At faster cruising speeds, air conditioning is more efficient – but you'll still use about 11 percent more fuel than if you switched it off.

Clean out your car every now and then so you're not carrying any unnecessary weight. It's easy to forget about items you may have left in the trunk.

You can cut your fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent simply by removing unnecessary extras such as roof racks and spoilers. They increase wind resistance, making the trip harder work for your car.

Whenever you're stuck in a traffic jam or idling for longer than a few minutes, turn off your engine. You'll save more fuel than you'll use in restarting the engine.

By making some simple changes in your driving behaviour, you can significantly reduce the energy used by your car. To be even more eco-friendly, you can also consider walking or riding a bicycle if you aren't going very far!