Drive greener – and cheaper!

And the bad news is, running a car looks set to get even pricier. Experts believe unleaded petrol could soon reach £1.50 a litre and, if recent reports are to be believed, family cars like saloons could be hit by a green' tax to encourage people into more environmentally friendly motors.

So what's a poor motorist to do? Well, plenty, according to green campaigners, who have come up with a new, money-saving way to drive a vehicle.

Called eco-driving, it not only saves you heaps of money, but also means you'll be doing your bit for the environment as running your car more efficiently produces less carbon dioxide, the gas responsible for climate change. Great if your only green efforts so far have been to recycle those empty Chardonnay bottles!

According to the government-backed Energy Saving Trust, eco-driving could save the average motorist up to £120 a year on petrol or diesel. And this is how you do it.

Let go of bad driving habits:
Guilty of accelerating then braking heavily? It's time to ditch your inner boy racer! Driving more smoothly by anticipating road conditions will not only save you money but reduce your risk of accident. Cutting your average speed from 70mph to around 40mph should see you burning about 25% less petrol, too. And stop revving that engine – the Energy Saving Trust suggests you change up before 2,500rpm for petrol and 2,000rpm for diesel.

Here's a good tip for those cold winter mornings – drive away immediately when starting your car from cold as idling the engine wastes fuel.

Try to drive with all your car's windows shut. It will make you more aerodynamic and Friends of the Earth estimate this one simple change alone will cut the cost of a journey from, for example London to Exeter from £20 to £15. And just because you've shut the windows, that doesn't mean you can crank up the air conditioning – this also guzzles down the fuel.

Look closely at your car:
Driving around with a roof rack you never use? Still got those golf clubs sitting in the boot? Time to find another storage place for them as the heavier your car, the more fuel you'll use. And check your tyres regularly – the right air pressure can make you more petrol-efficient too.

Change the way you use your car:
Still driving to the shop for a paper? Consider using your feet or cycling there instead. Research has shown as much as a quarter of all car journeys in Britain are less than two miles long –remember that a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel.

Finally, if you're stuck in a jam, switch off your engine if you expect to be longer than a minute or so. That way you'll save fuel and emissions.

By MORE TH>N Car Insurance

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