Eco Driving Car Boot

GIVE CAR CLUTTER THE BOOT

Clearing out carboot clutter can save drivers money and CO2

People are using their cars as mobile wardrobes, with men (20%) almost as likely as women (25%) to permanently keep shoes or clothes in their carboot. According to new research from the Department for Transport, one in ten of us can’t even remember the last time we emptied it. Reasons given for this hoarding behaviour ranged from not having enough storage room in the house to wanting to hide new purchases from partners.

Women are more motivated to clear out non-essential items from their carboot for the psychological benefits of a clean car or a spring clean effect (60%), whereas men are motivated by saving money or reducing fuel (52%). Three quarters (73%) of those surveyed said that they were more likely to keep their car free of non-essential items after finding out that it could reduce their carbon footprint as well as save them money.

Tim Anderson, Smarter Driving expert at the Energy Saving Trust, explains,
“We can all lighten our load to avoid emitting unnecessary carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A quick spring clean of your carboot will make your car lighter, meaning you need less fuel, saving you money and CO2 emissions. We urge drivers to familiarise themselves with our Smarter Driving tips, such as making sure tyres are pumped up, not over revving the engine, switching it off when the car is idle for more than three minutes.”

Andrew Adonis, Minister of State for Transport added,
“Passenger cars alone make up over half of the UK’s carbon emissions from transport. As part of the ACT ON CO2 campaign, we are encouraging drivers to clear out their boot as the first step to Smarter Driving. If all motorists adopted Smarter Driving techniques it would save around 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 every year - collectively, that’s a fuel cost saving of over £2bn a year for the motorist. This shows that small actions made by all of us can add up to big savings.”

If drivers follow the smarter driving tips CO2 emissions from driving could be reduced by up to 8% (equivalent to saving an individual up to one month’s fuel in a year). For more advice search online for ACT ON CO2.

Issy Fisher, an events manager from Cornwall, admits to hoarding in her carboot, “I’ve been carrying around recycling with me for the last five years. If I had known how much money it was costing me and the impact on the environment, I would have emptied my car out years ago. I’m now taking my rubbish directly to be recycled, rather than letting it build up in my car. It also means that my car doesn’t look like a tip anymore, which can only be a good thing!”

More unusual items that people were found to be keeping in their cars included:

A 13ft trampoline
Hundreds of bags of mints (won in a competition)
A stag’s skull (with antlers intact)

Smarter Driving

Drivers should follow the tips below to save money and reducing a car's impact on the environment.

Less clutter in your car means less CO2. Clutter in your boot is extra weight your engine has to carry around. By removing it, you could reduce your engine's workload. This will burn less fuel and cut your CO2 emissions, so unload any items you won't need for your journey before you set out.
Accessories such as roof racks, bike carriers, and roof boxes significantly affect your car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency, so remember to remove them when not in use.
Plan ahead. Anticipate road conditions: drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration or heavy braking. This saves fuel & reduces accident rates. Plan journeys to avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.
Pump up to cut down. Under inflated tyres create more resistance when your car is moving. That means your engine has to work harder, so more fuel is used and more CO2 emissions are produced. Simply check and adjust your tyre pressures regularly and also before long journeys. This will also help to increase the life of your tyres.
Under inflated tyres increase CO2 but over inflated tyres can be unsafe, so check your car manual for the correct tyre pressure. Remember, a car with a heavier load may need different air pressure in the tyres. Under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.
Driving at an appropriate speed reduces CO2. Speed limits are the maximum lawful speeds which may be driven in ideal circumstances. Drivers should never exceed the speed limit. Staying at or within the speed limit increases driver safety. It also reduces CO2 emissions and saves money on your petrol costs. At 70mph you could be using up to 9 per cent more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15 per cent more fuel than at 50mph.
Less stopping and starting means less CO2. Every time you stop then start again in a traffic queue, the engine uses more fuel and therefore produces more CO2. Keep an eye on the traffic ahead and slow down early by gently lifting your foot off the accelerator while keeping the car in gear. In this way, the traffic may have started moving again by the time you approach the vehicle in front, so you can then change gear and be on your way.
Check your revs. Over revving accelerates emissions. Modern car engines are designed to be efficient from the moment they are switched on, so revving up like a Formula 1 car in pole position only wastes fuel and increases engine wear. Using your gears wisely by changing up a gear a little earlier can also reduce revs. If you drive a diesel car, try changing up a gear when the rev counter reaches 2000rpm. For a petrol car, change up at 2500rpm.
Idling is wasting fuel. When the engine is idling you're wasting fuel, adding to CO2 emissions. If you're likely to be at a standstill for more than three minutes, switch off the engine. Drive away immediately when starting from cold - idling to heat the engine wastes fuel and causes rapid engine wear.
Adapt your habits. Avoid short journeys when possible - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel and catalytic converters can take five miles to become effective. Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption.

For more information visit Directgov - public services all in one place and the ACT ON C02 campaign.

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