Petrol & Diesel – “the only way is up…”

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Over the last few weeks and days the media has been full of stories about rising petrol and diesel prices.

Only today there are headlines saying that petrol and diesel costs have reached a record high as global oil prices soar yet again.

According to the RAC the average price for unleaded is £1.67 a litre and it’s worse news if you’re filling up with diesel as that’s risen to an average of a whopping £1.78.

Most businesses run diesel vehicles, so it’s bound to hit their operating costs. And with rising fuel bills, council tax increasing and inflation on the up that all means one thing – less money in our back pockets.

Tuning your heating down, or off, using your washer and tumble dryer less can all make a small difference to the energy you use, but is there anything we can do to save on the amount of fuel we’re using.

With prices predicted to reach a staggering £2.50 per litre, we thought we’d give you a few tips – and drivers who adopt fuel-efficient driving styles can save between 8% and 15% of fuel. Bet you’re reading on now:

  • Use the vehicles ‘stop-start,’ technology, or switch the engine off when you’re waiting for long periods, at traffic lights or a railway crossing for example.
  • Don’t carry unnecessary weight in the boot (do you need all that equipment for this particular journey?)
  • This might sound odd but unless you need to, don’t fill your tank right up, fuel is heavy!
  • Try and avoid repeated stop-starts, anticipate the road situation, and adopt a ‘slow-to-flow,’ style of driving and by that we mean, swapping ‘jerky,’ for ‘smooth,’
  • This one’s obvious but is worth remembering, the higher your speed, the more fuel you burn – take your foot off the gas. Driving at 60mph rather than 70mph reduces fuel consumption by around 20%!
  • Keep your tyres at the correct pressure, underinflated tyres can increase the amount of fuel you use.
  • Avoid travelling at peak traffic times if you can, you are more likely to waste fuel in queues – waiting half an hour and avoiding the rush hour or school run traffic can make a difference.
  • Develop a ‘light right foot,’ easy on the accelerator and brake, makes for better fuel efficiency.

Businesses should also think about considering driver training. Why?

  • Did you know there’s a legal duty to train staff under health and safety law?
  • It demonstrates an investment in staff safety and they’ll learn much more about driving safely and efficiently, helping you keep staff safe and they can help you save money as well.
  • Like we said before – drivers adopting fuel-efficient driving styles can save between 8% and 15% of fuel.

Our Eco-Safe driving course for car drivers, or our Safer Van Driving course for van drivers contains a wide range of safety and fuel-efficient driving tips. To find out more about our courses please click on this LINK or drop us an email at adrian@adrianhideconsultancy.co.uk