East Ayrshire drivers could save millions by driving differently

Jan 23 2009 by Colin Rutherford, Kilmarnock Standard

MOTORISTS in East Ayrshire could save as much as £7.5m a year by changing their driving habits.

The massive savings which could be made by eco-driving were highlighted last week as the Scottish government launched its three-year Eco-drive Scotland campaign.

According to government experts, if all of East Ayrshire’s motorists switched to eco-driving habits they would save £7.5m a year and 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of taking 7000 cars off the road for a year.

The campaign focuses on four key pieces of advice: Shift to as high a gear as possible; anticipate road conditions and drive more smoothly; avoid unnecessary acceleration and heavy braking, and drive slower to make fuel go further.

Stewart Stevenson, Scotland’s minister for transport, infrastructure and climate change, said: “Adopting greener driving styles can not only help Scotland reach our world-leading climate change ambitions, but it can also help people save money through reduced fuel and maintenance costs.”