Drivers in London are wasting £60 million a year in fuel by leaving their cars idling in stationary traffic, new research has shown.
Figures published by The Green Car Website suggest that if drivers in London turned their engines off when stopped for more than a minute, a reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 100 million kg a year would be seen.
Now, we're an eco-minded bunch here at BuyYourCar and, although we wouldn't buy a Prius if you gave us a hundred gazillion pounds, we are interested in ways through which the environmental impact of cars can be mitigated. However, we are now going to point out the shortcomings in this research.
- There are 9 million cars in London, so a £60 million saving each year equates to an annual saving per motorist of less than £7. Big deal.
- How do you know if you are going to be stopped for more than a minute? Stopping your engine for ten seconds and then restarting it will cause more pollution than simply leaving it running.
- While new cars use very little fuel to start the engine, older cars use much more, making it more efficient to leave the engine running (except when stopped for a very long time).
- 100 million kg of CO2 is nothing. This is the equivalent to 62 VED band A cars being driven 10,000 miles a year.
Transport for London is also making a big noise about how turning your engine off will help lower the risk of heart disease and lung cancer for those living in London by reducing pollution. Whether or not this would actually work remains to be seen, but we're sceptical.
If you really want to save money and lessen you car's impact on the environment, we've come up with some top tips.
- Don't buy a new car. Building a brand new motor and shipping it halfway across the world will create more carbon emissions than soldiering on with your current motor. Buy second hand.
- Keep your tyres inflated correctly. Not only does this save fuel, it also reduces stopping distances.
- Don't drive like a prat. Harsh acceleration and braking wastes fuel. Do you hear us Audi drivers?
- Try not to use your car for short runs. You'll lose weight and your car will last longer.
- Don't carry unnecessary weight -- clear out your boot.
