An eco driving driving lesson for our reporter Kevin Core

Jan 19 2010 by Kevin Core, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

An eco driving driving lesson for our reporter Kevin Core

I’M NO Jeremy Clarkson.

Offered the choice between a Corsa and a Bugatti Veyron I’d probably opt for the Corsa. More boot space you see.

I was surprised therefore to be offered some motoring journalism – specifically a one-hour lesson in slashing your fuel costs with tips that save the pounds and cut your carbon emissions.

Despite my scepticism after two 3.5-mile routes around the centre of Huddersfield, I was noticing a difference.

By the third my efficiency had shot up from 42.2 miles per gallon (mpg) to 52.4 mpg – a 24% improvement.

We’ve all seen a car swing out from behind us and speed forward just to be greeted with a red light.

It’s so common that we barely register that the manoeuvre has got the driver to exactly the same position, but put the car under strain and wasted his fuel.

Advanced driving instructor Mike Waterton says the key is changing your perceptions as a motorist.

He said: “People go rushing up to things and they think it makes them get there quicker.

“You have to change that attitude. It’s about forward planning, looking well ahead so that you can keep the vehicle moving and crucially, reduce the number of gear changes.