Commuting to work or driving to the shops may be convenient, but it isn’t the most eco-friendly way to travel. Cars produce significant amounts of polluting chemicals, such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, which come from fossil fuels. This pollution is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Here are some ways to make your driving habit more eco-friendly and ensure you are doing your bit for the environment.

Switch to an Electric Vehicle

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly mainstream and there are now plenty of relatively affordable models on the market. You might covet a Tesla, but if Elon Musk’s car range is way out of your budget, you could check out the Mini Electric Hardtop or Nissan Leaf. The range will be shorter but at least you will be harming the environment less.

If you have concerns about the range of an electric vehicle or can’t access charging points in your neighborhood, consider a hybrid instead. This means you can reduce your gas consumption and switch to battery power when appropriate.

For short journeys, you may even get away with using an electric golf cart to get around! It’s easier than you might think, so check the legal requirements. They’re also customizable, so you can really have some fun.

Even if an EV or hybrid isn’t on the cards, there are other ways to make driving more eco-friendly.

Reduce Your Speed

One easy way to be a more eco-friendly driver – and a safer one – is by driving below the speed limit. Drivers who regularly drive at excessive speeds use more fuel, which leads to greater harmful emissions. You are also less likely to pick up a speeding ticket.

Be a Sensible Driver

Younger drivers often treat the highway like a racetrack and seem to be under the impression that their heap of junk is a Ferrari. Really, it’s not, and driving like you are trying to win the Indianapolis 500 is a quick way to burn more fuel and pollute the environment.

Try to avoid accelerating and decelerating too quickly. Pay attention to the road ahead and the local driving conditions, so you can slow down gently and avoid braking hard at traffic stops. Sudden emergency stops not only use more fuel, but they also wear down brake pads. So, it is not only the environment you are hurting; it is your pocket too.

Maintain Forward Momentum Where Possible

By driving more mindfully, with a watchful eye on the road ahead rather than your smartphone, you can predict what might happen. This is a much safer way to drive. It also means you can keep the car moving rather than stopping and starting too much. A car uses less energy if it can maintain a degree of forward momentum while navigating stop signs and roundabouts. Each time you need to come to a complete stop, your engine has to work that bit harder to move the car forward again. This uses more fuel, which as we now know is not good.

However, while keeping moving is good, it isn’t recommended that you run a stop sign or trundle through a level crossing while the lights flash, purely to avoid stopping and expending more fuel. For obvious reasons, this is dangerous and quite likely suicidal, so common sense is required.

Our final tip is to try and car-share wherever possible. Sharing a journey with a friend or colleague cuts the environmental impact of the journey in half. Plus, you will have someone to chat to on what might otherwise be a boring journey!