green driving

Many fuel-saving tips advise driving slowly, but you should actually often drive fast to save fuel and minimize the impact on the environment. Driving slowly works to save fuel on an individual level, but if you’re hoping to drive green, this strategy can cause drivers on the road with you to burn more fuel, so it doesn’t help cut emissions in the bigger picture. Here are six tips to speed up your whole commuting community in a green fashion, as recommended by Traffic Technology Today: Traffic lights: Anticipate the green light (have your passengers help you), be in gear and prepared to drive away promptly. Don’t keep too much distance between cars. Don’t overly slow down for a red light, it might turn green soon and you would have slowed down for nothing. Make use of smart in-car traffic light technology or get a traffic light app on your navigation system. Roundabouts: Stay in one lane, if possible, and use your turn signal to indicate your direction so others won’t stop needlessly for you. Highways: Accelerate on the entrance ramp to merge at the appropriate speed for that highway. Choose your lane wisely; don’t stay in the outer lanes if you don’t need to. Don’t use your brakes if you don’t have to; try to anticipate slow driving far ahead and reduce speed gradually as needed. If exiting, don’t slow down on the highway; wait until you are on the exit ramp to decelerate. Two lane roads: Don’t hold up other drivers; stop and let them pass if you can’t maintain the posted speed limit. Curves and crossroads: Don’t slow down more than you need to for safety; make sure others can pass you when turning off the road. Cyclists and pedestrians: Should clearly signal turns; it is not necessary to press the button for crossing if you don’t plan to wait for the light to turn green to cross. When no other drivers are in sight, experiment with these funny old fashioned green drivers’ stratagems (mind you, only when you are alone on the road of course, we don’t want to instigate congestion): Drive slower Accelerate steady on entrance ramps. You will hit the highway at a relative slow speed Decelerate on highways way before the exit ramp (to avoid braking) Accelerate slow from a traffic light Turn engine off at red traffic lights Reduce speed going uphill and increase speed going downhill