Earlier this year the DSA added an extra category to the list of faults that may be marked in a Driving Test: Eco-safe driving. Consequently, BSM added an extra couple of pages to the 'Track Record' (a driving handbook we give to each pupil).
Initially people were sceptical. Comments typically described the move as jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to appear modern and trendy. However, I think it is a welcome move. It is how I have always taught pupils to drive anyway, and much of it is common sense, but there is food for thought. Much of it involves looking (and reacting) earlier to what is happening ahead; if you see traffic slowing, or red lights, then why accelerate up to them then brake? Why not ease of the accelerator earlier? Use the highest possible gear that does not cause the car to struggle and, when accelerating downhill, block change gears (skip a gear, e.g 1st to 3rd, 2nd to 4th or 3rd to 5th). There is much more, but I'm a professional and you will have to pay me for further information.
Those of you who have previous experience of my driving (before I trained to become an instructor) will be gasping with incredulity that I should say such things. Regardless of what car I had, the accelerator was either 'on' or 'off'. Why do 60mph when 90mph (or more) was possible? Of course, back then I was maybe driving 8000 - 12000 miles per annum; now I cover 50,000 - 60,000 miles and that is a LOT of fuel.
Obviously it has been in my interest to change my style of driving; mainly so that I may become a better instructor, but also to save me money. When I first starting training to become an instructor I would fly over to Aberdeen in my 2.0 litre, 24 valve V6 Mazda GXi, overtaking everything in my way and leaving my poor engine smelling rather hot. I would then spend the day driving a BSM Astra in a completely different style - confident, but considerate and careful. Then I would jump back in my beloved Mazda and race back home. With time, it became apparent that, if I wanted my pupils to drive a certain way, I would have to drive that way myself... all the time. If not, then I would not be so good at spotting my pupils' mistakes.
When I first started back with BSM I was given a 1.3 diesel Corsa with about 3,000 miles on the clock. The car's computer said that, at that time, the average fuel consumption for the car(since new) was 53.4 mpg. By teaching Eco-safe driving I was able to continually improve the average mpg until, by the time the car was replaced, after 14,500 miles, I had got the average up to 57.4mpg.
The new car had only 18 miles on the clock and, again, I tried to keep improving the average fuel consumption. Of course, the more miles the car covers, the slower the rate of improvement. During the first week I managed to improve the average from an initial (showroom) 31.0mpg to 54.4 mpg. By the 2nd week it was up to 56.7, the 3rd week 58.0. A couple of weeks ago it reached 59.9mpg and I thought it had peaked there. Once or twice it dipped back down to 59.8 before returning to 59.9, but it looked as though I would never quite make the elusive 60mpg.
(Stop yawning! This is important to me.)
Yesterday, as I drove from home to my first lesson, I reached the magical 60 ('magical' in an extremely loose sense of the word). So far, despite lots of fuel-heavy driving, such as manoeuvres and hill-starts, it remains on 60.0.
We are still unsure whether we will be getting the 1.2 petrol Fiat 500 to start with, or whether we can immediately upgrade to the 1.3 diesel. Whichever model it is, I will be continuing to perfect my Eco-driving. I have calculated that the difference between the 53.4 mpg I started with, and the 60.0mpg I now attain, is a saving of £3,702 per annum for me.
When you think of it like that, do you still think 'jumping on the bandwagon' to help save the planet doesn't pay?
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