http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Drivers-cut-speed-to-save.6723470.jp
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Drivers cut speed to save hundreds of pounds"
(23 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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Sticking to the speed limit, especially on motorways, has been identified by the AA's Drive Smart eco-driving initiative as one of the most effective ways to cut fuel costs.
Or, to put it another way;
not breaking the law is cheaper
And it takes a "drive smart eco-driving initiative" to get the motor lobby to advise sticking to the law?
Pathetic.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Now if only we could get them to advise that engine revving, pointless overtakes and accelerator slamming at cyclists moving right are needlessly fuel burning (which they are) and that cutting them out will save money.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Disapointing to see that the ABD have been given air time:
"However, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers remained sceptical. "Our members are complaining about the cost of petrol but they don't want to be bullied into driving in a different manner. No-one I've spoken to has mentioned driving at a slower rate.""
I got 59mpg* on a five mile drive across Edinburgh this morning (admittedely before 7.30am). Fuel consumption seems a bit better in the warmer weather.
*based on the slightly optimistic onboard readout
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Disapointing to see that the ABD have been given air time:"
Surely everybody deserves equal air time no matter what their views are.
Posted 13 years ago # -
They never asked me.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's not just the fuel cost though. We spent 10p a mile on upkeep (not including VED, insurance etc) in the last year. We could have bought a very nice bike, or two servicable ones, for the parts & labour cost of keeping the car on the road.
For some reason I always associate the ABD with the fascist movement. Is there any truth in that, or did I misread something somewhere?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"They never asked me."
Do you have a public relations department?
they probably hold some fascist views against cyclists......( don't quote me on that though!!) but they still deserve their say.
I'll findout later today how much "upkeep" my van needs when I get it back from the MOT station.................woe is me!!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Hmmm. A quick poke at the Wikipedia article (despite its neutrality apparently being disputed) reveals that the ABD have been described as crackpots and nuisances by the fuzz and a parliamentary council respectively. Some of their work seems to have a delicate flavour of climate change denialism about it. "What's important is that if you go into any pub and listen to the views of the people at the bar, you'll find that their opinions are very much in line with ours."
I'm always slightly torn between approving and disapproving of deranged spokespeople; they give supporters of their cause a bad name and decrement the perceived validity of the arguments and data supporting whatever they're frothing about amongst sensibly-minded people but I fear for that significant proportion of the population who are unable to think logically or are susceptible to immediately believing every shred of wildly-exaggerated or misrepesented data presented to them by what they perceive as a trusted source.
Posted 13 years ago # -
they still deserve their say.
Recombodna - no one is saying they should be shut up, but reporters choose who to ring up for a quote, and whose press releases to use. so someone made a choice that the ABD spokesman was the right one today...
Posted 13 years ago # -
This is not news, I don't know why they wasted the time and energy? When I lived in Suffolk and commuted to Cambridge 60 miles every day, I would drive along at ~60mph following the HGV's in their wake/draft and I would regularly get 60mpg.
@ Dave, I figured out from commuting costs when I drove to work, my car cost me twice as much as I spent on fuel. There are fixed costs, insyrance etc.. but service, tyres etc, all depend on how many miles you drive annually.
Posted 13 years ago # -
From a brief look at its website, the ABD clearly considers climate change to be a ruse got up by Government to control the population. So if I was a journo these are exactly the sort of people I would ask for a comment - hopefully they would provide a nice, juicy quote for the article.
However, I suspect their spokesperson is right when they say drivers aren't slowing down to save money. It just doesn't strike me as something most people would really consider, let alone act upon while driving.
Posted 13 years ago # -
What would be really fun and annoying for drivers would be a mandatory add-on efficiency-reporting module which monitored speed (and the rates of change thereof) along with distance/altitude information about the journey and reported it back to the DVLA and HMRC so that anyone habitually accelerating unnecessarily rashly, accelerating right up to the point where they start braking, revving whilst stationary and generally playing fast and loose with their fuel efficiency could be suitably financially penalised. It could even be allocated to a suitable proportion of existing fuel duty.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Sounds like a manifesto for the ABC (Association of British Cyclists).
People do slow down to save money and drive faster if someone else (a business) is paying the fuel and repair bills though. White van man and Audi exec are examples.
Posted 13 years ago # -
What I would like is a way of actually helping me drive more efficiently. For example, a rev limiter that prevented me going above a customisable threshold (I have a heavy foot, for my sins) and a speed limiter (so I can just motor along at 27 in town and annoy all the people in a rush) would be a godsend.
It should't be hard, so clearly there is no market in it. :(
Posted 13 years ago # -
You could easily do it dave. My step fathers van was limited to 70mph which was great actually.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Dave, you're describing cruise control ;-) but yes, it is possible. I may be shot down for this, but I would reccommend a try at the IAM advanced driving course/test. I did the (motor)bike one for a variety of reasons we can chat about at PY some Friday and discovered that we weren't dawdling, my journey times were unchanged and I was getting 10mpg more out of the bike... and that is as an ex courier who wasn't afraid to "make good progress" :-o
I haven't done the car version (yet) but I bought it as a present for my parents a couple of years ago and they both rated it highly. Probably not for everyone but well worth a look imho.Posted 13 years ago # -
Time to out myself as a car geek...
Several cars have the features you request Dave, though maybe not all of them.
Most (maybe all?) BMWs have a real-time consumption gauge on the dash and have done since the 80s. It's hard to argue it's been effective at slowing BMs down!
Honda Civics have a traffic light thing that shows if your diving is economical. SAABs and BMs have a programable speed limit pinger maybe others do to.
You're right about it being easy, the data is available in the engine management unit of every car since catalysts were introduced. Maybe your point about the market is the key, obviously these features are not widely advertised beyond the owners manual.
How about servo assisted pedal power? Then you'd get tired if you tried to go too fast....
Posted 13 years ago # -
I think some sort of electromagnetic retarder is required in the accelerator pedal to stop it being depressed quite so easily in towns - the number of people who wheelspin their front wheel drive cars away from the lights or to try and make a turn when there isn't really a gap is concerning. There's no need to drive with that level of aggression.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Nowadays accelerators are mostly just an electronic transducer and are not moving the throttle (or regulator) directly at all. Just a bit of re-programming of the engine management would damp the signal, a bit more friction in the pedal might help too.
Soon the mechanical link from steering to wheels will be gone too so we'll see the same behaviour in steering (violent inputs causing instability) when the "feel" is removed.
Posted 13 years ago # -
ABD in this one too -
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Enforcer-parks-bike-on-double.6724279.jp
Posted 13 years ago # -
the cooncil bin wagons coming out of the depot near Russell Road are regularly abandoned in such a manner in Roseburn during rush hour - a trip to Spar is too much for them to resist.
Posted 13 years ago # -
@Dave, http://www.newtronic.co.uk/new/main.php/revlim/ is one option, rather a clumsy tool though, better off putting some mellow music on and learing to change the driving style :-)
Posted 13 years ago #
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