Planning your trips wisely can save your tyres and the environment

Planning your travel route to work, school, the shops, meetings, sporting and entertainment venues can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease fuel costs, wear and tear on your car and helps the environment.
REDISA (Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa), as the plan approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs to clean the country of tyre waste, has some useful hints and tips on how to make this achievable:

• Make one trip for all your errands – short car trips are the least fuel efficient.
• Take a walk or buy a bicycle and cycle if you are not taking long distance trips.
• Use public transport where possible, this may work out to be cheaper and less stressful than driving.
• Use buses, park and ride facilities or bike and ride facilities.
• Car pool.

Tips on how you can reduce vehicle fuel consumption and emissions:

•  Avoid driving aggressively, revving the engine, braking and accelerating quickly. In a manual vehicle, try to keep the engine below 2500 rpm (petrol) or 2000 rpm (diesel).
• Vehicle emissions are lowest when travelling between 40 and 60km per hour. Reducing your speed from 105 to 90 km per hour can increase your fuel efficiency by as much as 15 per cent.
• Leave earlier to avoid peak hour traffic congestion. Apart from being a stressful time to drive, frequent stopping and starting increases the wear and tear on your vehicle and uses more fuel than normal driving.
• Turn the engine off if you are waiting for a few minutes, for example when picking up or dropping off someone or if delayed in traffic for more than a minute or two.
• Before you start a trip, check the pressure in your tyres and ensure they are inflated to the recommended level (this is indicated on the tyre or inside the driver’s door). This will help to reduce your fuel consumption and wear and tear on your tyres as your tyres will have less friction on the road.