Happy Mondays: Green miles

A tongue-in-cheek look at news that's caught our eye. This week, we examine the new ‘eco-safe' driving test.

What's new? Candidates for the national driving test will soon be assessed on how environmentally friendly their driving is, as part of a move to curb carbon emissions. The new test comes in this autumn.

What does it mean? Trainee drivers will be taught to improve fuel economy by avoiding sharp acceleration and braking and by maintaining correct tyre pressures.

Unfortunately for boy racers, there's no indication that go-faster stripes actually help to propel the car.

What's to like? Studies have shown that being an ‘eco aware' driver can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 17%.

The Government says that if everybody drove like that, carbon emissions from cars could be reduced by as much as 8% overall.

However, it's safe to say that if you drive a Humvee to the shops on a regular basis, keeping your tyres pumped up may not do the trick on its own.

What's not to like? Being an ‘eco aware' driver will not influence whether you pass or fail the test.

More importantly, do you really need to drive? Getting to work by bicycle or on foot reduces your carbon emissions to zero and can often be quicker around town.

For longer journeys, why not use public transport instead?

To find out more, see www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/issues/cars/

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Image © Chris Elwell (through istockphoto)