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MOTORISTS - Act On Carbon Dioxide

Motorists were today urged to take action to cut down on CO₂ emissions from cars. Transport Minister Gillian Merron highlighted the vital role that each of us can play in reducing emissions as she launched the first phase of the Government's new 'Act on CO₂' climate change campaign.

The campaign starts by encouraging motorists to ‘Drive Smarter', in a way that improves fuel consumption and therefore reduces carbon emissions. The campaign's website gives motorists 'top tips' on how to 'Drive Smarter' and offers the chance to put the tips into action in a new online game.

If all drivers in the UK followed the Smarter Driving tips, CO₂ emissions from cars could be reduced by 8% - or over 5.5million tonnes of CO ₂ a year, saving motorists over £2billion a year in fuel costs. 

The new website will also host a ‘Savings Calculator' to help individuals calculate how much money they could save personally if they tried Smarter Driving.  This is done by entering the annual mileage, price of a litre of fuel and the miles per gallon the motorist averages in their car.

Gillian Merron said:

"Climate change will affect us all, but we can all do our bit to help tackle it. Little changes can make a big difference - and this campaign is all about giving drivers practical tips to help them make that real difference. Put quite simply, the way we drive can help to reduce our impact on the environment and by using less fuel, motorists can save money too." 

The top tips for 'Driving Smarter' are: 

• Pump up to cut down on CO₂ - under-inflated tyres mean more CO₂ so make sure your tyres are pumped up correctly
• Don't over rev the engine - change up a gear a little earlier when you can
• Less clutter in your car means less CO₂ - the less weight you carry in your car, the easier it is for your engine and the less fuel it uses

More tips are available on the website.  Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk/

The Transport Direct website, which provides online journey planning information to travellers, has also been updated to give fuel consumption and carbon emissions figures for individual car journeys, according to engine size.

Later this year, the campaign will also feature a new car ranking system which will give information to consumers on the lowest carbon cars within the category and price range of their choice. The ranking is currently in development.

For further information telephone:  020 7944 8300