| 1. |
Use public transport, such as the
railway and buses, whenever possible to save money
as well as energy. A double-decker bus carries the
same number of people as twenty fully occupied private
cars, with less fuel needed and less pollution emitted. |
| 2. |
If your journey is not a long one,
walking or cycling is a good alternative. Either
way will not waste energy or create pollution. Don¡¦t
think that cycling is old fashioned. In Japan, a
technologically advanced country, one-sixth of the
working class travels by bicycle; and in Holland,
as much as one-third of the traveling is made on
bicycle. |
| 3. |
Choose public vehicles with more environmental
friendly¡Xlow or zero emission¡Xfuel, such as trams
or LPG minibuses. |
| 4. |
Planning in advance is important
for green driving. Prepare a map and choose the
shortest and smoothest route. Getting lost or mistakenly
choosing the longer route wastes both time and fuel. |
| 5. |
Switch off the engines while waiting. Idling
engine not only wastes fuel but also harms pedestrians
and causes air pollution by continuously pumping
out undue emissions. During a serious traffic jam,
switching off the engine can prevent backflow of
the exhaust gases into the vehicle. When the traffic
is seriously congested, the air quality inside the
car is even worse than that outside and as a result,
car users regularly suffer up to 3 times as much
the pollution as pedestrians. |
| 6. |
Drive smoothly and avoid heavy braking and rapid
acceleration because these actions consume much
more fuel than driving at a consistent speed. Jerky
driving also speeds up vehicle and tyre wear that
contribute to noise pollution. Sharp acceleration
uses 60% more fuel than a gentle acceleration. |
| 7. |
Manual transmission is more fuel-efficient and
reduces emissions than automatic transmission because
of lower friction between the road and the tyres.
Use higher gear when driving and you can save more
fuel. For example, driving at 60km/hr in 3rd gear
uses 25% more fuel than in 5th gear. Do not use
the gears to slow down, however, as that would waste
fuel. |
| 8. |
Air-conditioning increases fuel consumption and
creates more emissions. We should, therefore, keep
the car ventilated by opening the windows. Using
the air-conditioner unnecessarily costs you 1.5
km for every 2 litres of petrol. |
| 9. |
A well-maintained car is good for the health of
both the driver and the environment. A badly maintained
car wastes a lot of fuel and causes great damage
to the environment. In just 15 minutes, 90% of the
badly polluting vehicles can be recovered. |
