Download our free eco-driving posters below. Print and display them in areas they’ll be seen by your drivers, or download and attach them to an email to remind your drivers of the best and safest way to improve their fuel economy.
See our full range of fleet safety posters here.
Eco-driving does not mean driving slowly. Maintaining momentum and avoiding harsh braking and acceleration is the safe way to increase a driver’s MPG or miles per kWh. For fleet managers, introducing small but effective changes like these can add up to big savings across thousands of business miles. Read some of our other top eco-driving tips below:
- Keep driving smooth. Gentle acceleration and using the highest safe gear will use less fuel. Anticipate the road ahead and ease off the accelerator early for traffic lights if they are red – why hurry up to wait?
- Keep your tyres well maintained by checking the condition, pressures and tread depth. When it comes to choosing new tyres, it’s worth having a look at ones which are designed for extra economy. See our tyre tips for more information.
- Keep your speed low. Figures from the Energy Saving Trust¹ show the increases in fuel consumption that fleets may see from higher speeds:
- Get rid of unnecessary weight. Take heavy items out of the vehicle if you don’t need to carry them. Removing roof racks or roof boxes that aren’t being used will also help to increase fuel efficiency by minimising the drag.
- Keep engines warm. Short trips of less than two miles will produce 60% more pollution than with a warm engine – avoid these short journeys where possible. Reversing into a parking space also means that less time will be spent manoeuvring out with a cold engine later on.
- Invest in fleet driver training. On-road eco-driving training can have considerable impacts on fuel consumption, delivering savings of up to 15 pence per litre.
- Go electric. EVs and hybrids can offer tax and fuel savings, and recent improvements in battery and range technology are making them increasingly viable for fleet and grey fleet. Our EV Familiarisation course is designed to bring business drivers up to speed with the technology.
IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman said: “Fuel is expensive but a few small changes in the way we prepare our vehicles and plan our journeys can make a big difference in our fuel consumption. Remember that safety and fuel saving can be complementary if we drive effectively.”
¹ Source: Department for Transport, (2016), Advising fuel efficient driving techniques for your fleet.
