Cars are the second biggest cause of global warming, but for many of us it's not practical to live without a car.  Therefore if you have to drive, it makes sense  to drive in the most eco-friendly way possible.  The good news is that it's much easier than you might think.  It's been calculated that just by changing the way we drive, motorists can use 25 per cent less fuel.  This will save you money of course, but also help to protect the planet.  The European Climate Change Programme has calculated that if there was a European wide adoption of eco driving across EU member states, we'd save 25 billion litres of fuel by 2010.

Our advice is divided up into the following categories:

Car preparation and maintenance
Preparing to drive
During the journey
Extra tips

Car preparation and maintenance

• Service your car at least every year. Get the engine tuned, the wheels aligned and catalytic converter checked
• Make sure that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure.  Under inflation by 7psi wastes half a gallon of fuel in every tank, so it's worth inflating to the manufacturer's guidelines (which are based on cold tyres, so use the petrol station nearest your start point to avoid your tyres warming up too much.)
• Reduce weight, and fuel consumption, by simply removing unnecessary items from your car that do not need to be there for a particular journey. These can include buggies, golf clubs, tools, footwear and so on
• Avoid overfilling the tank when refuelling as spilled fuel evaporates and releases harmful emissions
• Check your windows and lights – ensuring that your windows are clean and your lights are working will make your journey safer.
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Preparing to Drive

• Take off roof racks and trailers if they’re not needed
• Avoid short journeys – walk or cycle them instead. 61% percent of journeys are under two miles and arguably a waste of fuel
• The engine will be colder on short journeys too, and this can double fuel consumption
• Consider planning as many jobs as possible in one trip. Aim to get as much as you can out of the journey. Five jobs in one trip is better for the environment than five trips!
• Sitting in queues costs money and wastes fuel. Avoid congestion by checking the local Travelwise jam cams or trafficmaster.net for delays before you set off
• Only travel in the rush hour if you absolutely have to
• Make sure you know where you're going. Motorists waste 350,000 tonnes of fuel per year getting lost! Visit the AA website for free online route planning
• Idle your engine during its initial start for no more than 30 seconds. An idling engine produces 80 percent more pollution than when the vehicle is in motion.  Modern car engines warm up faster when they are in motion
• Could you car share instead?  Visit the local car share scheme www.nottinghamshare.com for more details of this free service.
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During the journey

• Drive smoothly – pulling away too fast uses 60 percent more fuel
• Slow down. Driving at 70mph can use up to 30 percent more petrol than driving at 50mph
• Think ahead to avoid sharp braking - it just throws away energy
• Avoid using the air conditioning, which uses 15 percent more fuel. All on board electronics are also using extra fuel, the rear screen heater for example adds 5 percent to the fuel consumption
• Change gear between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm – this can save up to 30 percent of fuel
• When driving at higher speeds, keep your windows and sunroof shut and open the air vents instead
• It's better to switch your engine off when in stationary traffic. You use more fuel with the engine idling for 45 seconds than if you switched off and restarted 45 seconds later
• Traffic lights are programmed to change according to the speed limit. If you are stopped at one red light but then drive on at a sedate speed you will usually find that by the time you reach the next few sets of lights, they will be turning green for you
• Careful motorway driving will improve safety and traffic flow. The concertina effect caused by one motorist breaking sharply often results in traffic slowing to a near stop due to the delayed reaction of drivers behind. If we try to observe the car three or four ahead and give ourselves some distance from the car in front we can anticipate and judge the necessary speed. When you see a car break up ahead, simply remove your foot off the accelerator. By the time you get close to the car in front the chances are that they will have speeded up. You can almost make yourself responsible for stopping the concertina.
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Extra tips

• If you’re thinking about changing your car, opt for an efficient one. If you don’t carry passengers, opt for a two-seater and enjoy getting up to 70mpg. Toyota, Honda and Lexus offer hybrid cars that have an electrical assist to make your petrol go further. See our page about buying green cars
• Take a course in advanced driving. An employee commuting between Newark and Nottingham saved £5 a month in petrol as a result. You may get cheaper insurance too
• Check your mpg regularly. Keeping a check on this makes sure you are getting the most from your car. This will also alert you to any faults that increase fuel consumption and emissions
• Give your car a holiday! Every 6000 miles a car will produce its own weight in CO2
• It's the shortest trips that are the most damaging to the environment and health. Short journeys can also reduce the life of your engine and catalytic converter significantly. The first kilometre produces 60 percent more fumes and the lubricants haven't reached the correct temperature so engine wear is higher. Catalytic converters are also only effective for journeys over five miles.
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