'Eco Driving ' (also known as 'Smarter Driving') is an easy way to reduce fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and vehicle accident rates.

It's designed to get the most out of modern engines: a smart, smooth and safe driving style that can lead to average savings of 10% to 20% in fuel consumption. Monetary savings might be of particular interest to those who have to manage the organisation's payments for fuel.

Driving style can make a big difference to a vehicle’s fuel consumption.

Eco Driving means driving more efficiently. It doesn't mean driving slowly and taking longer!

Eco Driving tips are the motoring equivalent of insulating the hot water tank, fitting low energy bulbs and not leaving the television on standby. They're simple, common sense ideas that really will make a difference to the environment and to the pockets of individuals in your organisation.

The Energy Saving Trust  (EST) has produced an excellent guide to Eco Driving as well as best practice guides.

Whilst eco-driving has been targeted at car drivers, the government's Freight Best Practice website has some excellent advice and initiatives aimed at lorry drivers and companies running lorries.

You may find that these main messages about Eco Driving are useful to pass onto employees and others.

Why not run your own Eco Driving Challenge? 

As well as directing people to EST, you could also set up your own organisation’s challenge to see who can save the most money by recording the change in fuel consumption from before to after smarter driving training.

How much can people in your organisation save?

The aim of the organisation's Eco Driver Challenge should be to see how much drivers can improve on their current average fuel consumption, or the ‘official’ manufacturer’s figure, by following Eco Driving advice.

Most cars have computers which automatically record fuel economy. For each driver and their vehicle, take a note of the overall average fuel consumption they are getting at the moment and see how much each can improve by following Smarter Driving advice. It should be possible to re-set individual computers so they start recording a new average 'Miles Per Gallon' (MPG) figure after Smarter Driver training.

If a car doesn't have a computer, the comparison of before and after is trickier but not impossible. The driver should follow these steps:

1. Fill the tank and record the mileage.
2. Keep a record of subsequent purchases.
3. Ideally go back to the same pump at the same garage where the vehicle was first filled and fill the tank to the same level.
4. Divide the total mileage since the first fill by the total number of litres used and then multiply by 4.546 to get miles per gallon (MPG).

Use an on-line MPG calculator that enables individuals to keep a track of their fuel consumption.

Fuel consumption data for individual makes and models of vehicles can be useful information to have available.