Eco Driving can save £s

Green eco-driving will not only save money by reducing your fuel consumption but will also help you reduce your vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions and the negative impact your vehicle has on the environment.

Fuel cost is a major factor in any car driver's expenditure so making sure your car is performing at maximum efficiency will help you save money on fuel bills.

Here are are top eco driving tips.

• Roof racks, bike carriers and roof boxes will affect your car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency. If you have to use them make sure you remove them when not in use. Driving with the windows or sunroof open will also decrease your car's aerodynamics.

• Change into the highest appropriate gear as soon as you can. Revving the engine in low gear consumes large amounts of fuel. For maximum efficiency you should shift up a gear when the engine is revving between 2000 and 2500 revs.

• Maintain a steady speed using the highest gear possible. The most efficient speed is typically around 45 - 50mph. Driving faster than this will greatly increase your fuel consumption. The Department of Transport claim driving at 70 mph uses up to 9% more fuel than at 60 mph and up to 15% more than at 50 mph.

• If you anticipate being stuck in a queue of traffic for more than a minute or so then cutting the engine will save petrol and reduce emissions.

• Avoid short journeys, car engines use more fuel when cold and catalytic converters take around six miles before they become effective.

• Check your tyre pressure regularly. Under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.

• Don't turn on the engine and leave it idling in order to warm up your car. This wastes fuel and causes engine wear.

• Turning on the air condition for long periods of time will significantly increase fuel consumption.

• Plan your journeys so that you avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.

• Have your car serviced according to the manufacturers schedule. This will help maintain engine efficiency and cut fuel consumption.
  
  
  
  

How Many Driving Lessons Will You Need?

So how many lessons WILL you need?

There is a rule of thumb that on average a learner will need one and a half hours of tuition for every year of his or her age. This may work for you, but if you're not "average", you might learn faster or slower than this. In reality, the number of lessons you will need will depend on five factors:

1, The qualities of your driving instructor ....An instructor who develops a good rapport with you, and finds the most effective way for you to learn, will help you reach the appropriate standard of driving quicker than an instructor who does not.

2, Your age ....Although one's interest in learning may actually increase with age, unfortunately one's ability to absorb a new skill probably tends to decrease. However driving is a skill that can in time be acquired by just about everyone, whatever their age.

3, Your natural aptitude for driving ....The skills needed for driving are inherent in our make-up to a greater or lesser extent, just as some people are "better" than others at, for example, crossword puzzles, languages or sport. It might take you longer to learn to drive than your friends or relatives, but this is nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, the more time you have to gain driving experience with a good instructor, the better a driver you will probably be.

4, Your previous experience of being driven and/or of driving ....Even if you have never driven before, it is likely that you have been in a car driven by somebody else. The way that person drove may have a significant influence on the way you drive, as humans learn naturally just by observing someone else's actions. You may have watched a "good" performance which may help you make rapid progress with your lessons; or you might have watched a "poor" performance, which may involve your instructor in spending more time guiding you towards a better way!If you have previous experience, either of driving a car on private land, or better still, of riding a moped on the road, this may well reduce the number of lessons you will need.

5, Any other driving you will be doing outside your driving lessons ....In general, the more experience of driving you get, the quicker you will learn. So if you have the opportunity to drive legally with relatives or friends, take it. You should note however, that if you have never driven before, it is best to delay any extra driving until you have sufficient skills to control a car with minimal assistance, and have enough knowledge and judgement to get around safely.

If your supervisor is more nervous than you are, has no clear idea about how to provide guidance, and has no dual controls to rescue you with, you will realise the pitfalls of this extra experience.

Extra driving sessions normally work best if you can be accompanied by someone who is relaxed enough to let you get on with your driving, with minimal "assistance" unless you require it. For this to work, YOU need to have a clear idea about what you should be doing, and hopefully you will be getting this from your official lessons.If you would like more information please visit 1st Call Driving Schools main site

Top 10 driving bad habits

I found this information on http://money.cnn.com

Survey: Between the pushy and the clueless, it's the mobile phoners that annoy drivers the most.
May 4, 2006: 12:27 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Drivers who leave their turn signals on for miles? That's nothing ... it's those juggling their cell phones that irritate their brethren the most, according to a recent insurance company survey.
The list of the top ten most annoying driving habits describes, essentially, two types of annoying driver. The checked-out driver and the overly aggressive driver.
The two things that most annoyed drivers, according to the survey, were "distracted drivers talking on cell phones," followed by "slow drivers in the fast lane."
The annoyances that ranked third through seventh in the survey all relate to aggressive driving habits. They are, in order of rank: tailgating, weaving through traffic to gain one or two car lengths, speeding up to prevent other drivers from changing lanes, changing lanes without signaling, and "road rage."
Motorcyclists made the list at number eight with the annoying habit of driving between lanes. Women applying makeup or men shaving in the car ranked ninth.
The survey was conducted by Hagerty Insurance, a company that insures collectible cars. Web users at various automobile-related Websites were invited to respond to the survey. Results were compiled from about 10,000 responses, according to Hagerty.

Most annoying driving habits:
1. Distracted drivers talking on cell phones (28.5 percent)
2. Slow drivers in the fast lane (21.6 percent)
3. Pushy drivers who tailgate (18.1 percent)
4. Drivers who weave through traffic to gain one or two car lengths (12.5 percent)
5. Obnoxious drivers who speed up to keep you from changing lanes (5.5 percent)
6. Hasty drivers who change lanes without signaling (4.9 percent)
7. Road Rage (2.7 percent)
8. Motorcyclists who race down the middle of a lane, between cars (2.1 percent)
9. Women applying makeup and men shaving (1.7 percent)
10. Drivers who leave their turn signal on for miles (0.92 percent)
Source: Hagerty Insurance

If you are guilty of any of the above then we have the ideal course for you. Our keep it safe course is aimed at qualified drivers who just need some help some aspect of driving.

Visit www.1st-call.co.uk for more information.