Brighton drivers given help saving money on fuel

Drivers in Brighton are being helped to use less fuel through an “eco-driver” training scheme.

They complete a one-week travel diary and then receive a 50-minute lesson with a professional instructor. The session focuses on saving fuel.

Brighton and Hove City Council, which organised the scheme, said that so far the 72 drivers who had taken part had saved an average of 10 per cent on the day. Some saved as much as 33 per cent.

If only half this saving on the day is achieved over two years, residents will save on average £178 and a third of a tonne of carbon dioxide, the council said.

This is equivalent about the same as topping up your loft insulation and lagging your hot water tank and pipes.

As a result, drivers in the Lewes Road area look likely to save about £13,000 over the next two years, the council said.

Places on the scheme are also being offered to drivers in the Coombe Road area, Bevendean, Moulsecoomb and Coldean in the coming year.

The council said that, in fleets of company vehicles, studies had shown that the effect lasted for nearly five years.

And it added that company fleet vehicles suffered about a third fewer accidents after employees had had an eco-driving lesson.

The scheme is being supported by the Energy Saving Trust.

Councillor Ian Davey, chairman of the council’s Transport Committee, said: “This excellent initiative helps residents to save fuel and cash, reduce emissions and drive more safely.

“It’s good not only for the Lewes Road area but for the city as a whole.”

In 2013, the project moves on to the Coombe Road area, Bevendean, Moulsecoomb and Coldean, and drivers there will be invited to take part.