Graphic: how to be an eco-driver

Paul Helbing, a driving instructor of 26 years, said that he was going to teach me a new way of driving.

After five years' planning, the Driving Standards Agency today announces its “eco-safe” driving campaign: instructors will begin teaching new techniques that will eventually allow examiners to judge the environmental impact of a student's driving. At the end of the test, students will be told how they can better cut vehicle emissions, save fuel and save money.

Mr Helbing told me to drive in my normal style. What he did not know was that I can barely drive, let alone with style.

I stall at roundabouts, I rev to high heaven on hill starts, and I have trouble steering in a straight line.

“Well,” Mr Helbing said after 20 minutes of my efforts, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, “we can all improve.” “You won't take away my licence, will you?” I asked nervously.

“Unfortunately, I don't think I can,” Mr Helbing replied. “But I'm going to teach you eco-safe driving. With the emphasis on safe. Safety should never be compromised.”

It is a canny campaign. “People tend to look on saving money as the be-all and end-all, especially in the current climate,” said Bob Millard, an assistant chief driving examiner involved in planning the campaign. “You use less fuel, you save the environment, but you also save cash, and that's something that people really latch on to.”

Trials have shown that drivers use an average of 8 per cent less fuel with eco-safe methods. Newly qualified drivers can save up to 15 per cent.

Focusing on learner drivers provides instructors with a clean slate to work on, Mr Millard said.

Some of the principles of eco-safe driving go against everything an experienced driver may take for granted, said Mr Helbing said: “Brakes used to be so inefficient, you needed to use gears to slow down. The new saying is: 'Gears are for going; brakes are for slowing'. You should only change your gears when absolutely necessary.”

Mr Helbing has been known to change from fifth gear to first in one swoop of the stick.

Eco-safe driving also advocates judging gaps when approaching roundabouts and junctions, taking your foot off the accelerator and rolling through them without stopping. “If you're looking for ways to save fuel, you'll see the hazards well in advance and it makes you a safer driver,” Mr Millard said.

As I attempted another 20-minute drive, this time using eco-safe techniques, Mr Helbing's hands hovered over the steering wheel. I jumped a red light, went round a country corner in fifth gear, and stalled as I turned into a parking space. Nevertheless, it felt better — smoother, easier and safer.

An eco-calculator on the dashboard showed that I had used 1.49 litres of fuel, half a litre less than my first 20-minute drive. The DSA official in the back seat felt only slightly nauseous. And Mr Helbing did not even break into a sweat.

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