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Smart driving

<h2 class="sectHeading">Top tips for driving smarter </h2> <span><figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"><img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Inline%20Images/Traffic%20Transport%20-%20Smart%20driving%20-%20Inline%20Graphic.jpg" alt="" style="width:645px;" /> </figure></span> <p> <strong>Follow these tips for greener, more economical driving:</strong></p><ul><li>Plan your trip and drive smoothly and on lower speeds to lessen the amount of fuel you use. This also results in fewer vehicle emissions (the greenhouse gases and chemicals that damage the environment).</li><li>Service your vehicle regularly to make sure that it performs at its best and uses the least amount of fuel – badly maintained vehicles can increase fuel usage by as much as 50% and emit poisonous gases like carbon monoxide. </li><li>Make sure there are no holes in the vehicle’s exhaust.</li><li>Check your tyre pressure monthly – under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 40% and can cause accidents.</li><li>When you buy new tyres, go for low rolling resistance ones – they can decrease your mileage by 5%.</li><li>Don’t carry unnecessary weight in your vehicle – including your boot or on your back seats – the heavier the car the harder the engine has to work, and the more fuel it uses.</li><li>Close your windows and sunroofs when driving at high speed and remove empty roof racks – the wind resistance can lower your fuel usage by up to 10%.</li><li>Use air conditioning only when really necessary – it adds the extra load on to your engine and can increase fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 5%.</li><li>Avoid speeding and drive smoothly at an even speed – increasing your speed from 100 km/h to 120 km/h can increase your fuel consumption by 20%.</li><li>In manual cars, change to the highest gear as early as possible – driving in a higher gear is more economical on fuel consumption.</li><li>Try to anticipate traffic flow – look at the traffic as far ahead as possible in order to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting.</li><li>Walk, cycle, <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/transport-and-vehicles/greener-travel/lift-clubs">join a lift club</a> or take public transport to your destination – fewer cars on the road means less congestion and therefore less stop-start traffic, which wastes fuel and creates more vehicle emissions. </li><li>Fill up with petrol during cooler times of the day (early morning and evening) – the fuel will be denser, there will be less evaporation and you will get more petrol for your money.</li></ul><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info toptip"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Top tip</h4><p>Reduce idling – if you are going to come to a stop for more than 60 seconds, turn off your engine, except when you are driving in traffic. This has minimal impact on the starter system, but idling for more than 10 seconds already uses more fuel than it takes to restart your car.</p></div></div><h2 class="sectHeading">How to track how much fuel you use</h2><p>If your vehicle doesn't have a device to track the amount of fuel you use, the following steps show you how to calculate how many kilometres you get out of a tank of fuel. Using fuel-efficient driving practices can increase the distance you travel for every tank.</p><p> <b>Step 1:</b> Fill up your vehicle’s fuel tank completely and record the vehicle’s odometer reading, which tracks the kilometres you use.</p><p> <em>Example: the last time the tank was filled, the odometer reading was 40 200km.</em></p><p> <b>Step 2:</b> When it’s time to refuel, fill the tank completely and record both the number of litres it took to fill the tank, and the vehicle’s new odometer reading. Once two odometer readings have been taken, you can calculate your vehicle’s fuel consumption.</p><p> <em>Example: it took 56 litres to fill the tank, and this time around the odometer reading was 41 000km.</em></p><p> <b>Step 3:</b> Calculate the distance travelled by subtracting the new odometer reading from the previous one.</p><p> <em>Example: the distance driven would be 41 000km minus 40 200km = 800km.</em></p><p> <b>Step 4:</b> Divide the number of litres it took to fill the tank by the distance travelled and multiply this value by 100. The result is the vehicle’s fuel consumption for that driving period.</p><p> <em>Example: 56 litres ÷ 800km = 0.07.</em><br><em> 0.07 x 100 = 7.0 litres (ℓ) per 100 km.</em><br><em> Therefore, the fuel consumption for that driving period would be 7 litres/100km</em></p><h2 class="sectHeading">Choosing a new car</h2><p>If you are looking to buy a new car, but you can’t afford electric or hybrid, at least choose a car that uses less fuel and has low carbon emissions. From 2008, under law all car dealers in South Africa must display the fuel efficiency and CO2 emission of the car for sale on a placard placed on the windscreen. </p><p> <b>Energy-saving tips when choosing a new car:</b></p><ul><li>Compare several vehicles and choose the car with the best ‘kilometre per litre’ range within its particular category.</li><li>Manual gear transmission cars weigh less and are more efficient (and cheaper) than automatic cars.</li><li>Speeding uses more fuel – use cruise control whenever possible.</li><li>Tinted glass helps the car stay cooler and you won’t have to use your air-con as much.</li><li>Light-coloured cars are cooler than those with a dark colour.</li><li>Light-coloured seat covers make the inside of your car cooler.</li><li>Consider a roof rack for storing cargo.</li></ul> <span> <h2 class="sectHeading">Travel SMART Programme</h2></span> <p>We have a <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/departments-city-initiatives/environmental-resource-management/smart-driver-programme">Smart Driver Programme</a> for fleet drivers, which is currently managed by our <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Departments/Environmental%20Management%20Department">Environmental Management Department</a>. </p><p>You may also want to read our Transport Department's <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Smart_Travel_Guide.pdf" target="_blank"> Smart Travel Guide</a> for smarter, more sustainable ways of getting around.</p><p>View more useful guides on our <a href="https://www.tct.gov.za/en/resources/information-guides/information-guides/" target="_blank">Transport website<i class="icon link-external"></i></a>.</p>

Learn how to help the environment and save money by using less fuel when you drive.

Smart Travel Guide

2252315

2023-09-29T10:00:00Z