Do you want  to drive away for your holidays and have the freedom that your own car brings you but you are worried for the costs you will have to bare? With fuel prices higher than ever before even a short trip could be costly. A trip that one or two years ago was £50 is now probably around double that, so drivers must be careful not to waste any of that precious fluid.

Transport Minister Norman Baker has released some simple but useful tricks on how to save your petrol and your money. The first trick is a good driving technique. If you change your gear at the right time (by 2000rpm) and drive your car as smoothly as possible, you will already be saving money to put towards your dinner.

As Norman Baker said: "For many families, the annual holiday will be the longest trip they make all year.  Applying the simple smarter driving techniques could make a real difference to fuel costs."

The Department for Transport is supporting driving training by funding the Energy Saving Trust to offer group training and encouraging Local Authorities to do the same in their areas. You can check on-line for your nearest fully-qualified driving instructor on the government website. 

So take a notebook and write down the main tips.

Check your tyre pressures. Underinflated tyres are dangerous and drastically increase fuel consumption. If you are planning to leave with a heavily loaded car you shouldn't miss to check your tyres.

Watch your speed. High speed is the main cause of fuel consumption. At 85mph a car uses approximately 25per cent more fuel than at 70mph and at 70mph approximately 10 per cent more than at 60mph. Slowing down, even if it will make the journey a bit longer, will hugely increase your budget once at destination.

Also remember that when you are driving in town most fuel is used when accelerating, so try to anticipate the road and avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking.

Consider how you use roof racks and roof boxes. When you are speeding along the motorway a roof box can increase fuel consumption by around 25 per cent. Whenever you are carrying something on your roof it's really important to slow down. And remove the box once at destination until your return journey.  

Avoid congestion. I know this is a silly tip. Who goes looking for traffic? But what's the point be in a rush when on holiday? Traffic is bad for everything, your mood and your fuel consumption as well. So take a break when you see cars queuing. 

Have a good and economical drive!

Be the first to comment on this.