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Driving with a Smaller FootprintAggressive Driving"Jack Rabbit" starts, slamming on the brakes, tailgating, frequent lane changes, and failing to drive ahead all lead to radically increased fuel consumption, maintenance costs, and dangerous situations. Driving in a sane manner, gentle acceleration and braking, driving ahead and simply being courteous can save up to 38 per cent of your fuel use. The time savings from aggressive driving is virtually imperceptible at only 4 per cent. It's simply not worth it to drive aggressively.That's just the fuel consumption. One second of rapid acceleration can produce as much carbon monoxide as a half hour of normal driving. Driving ahead, anticipating stops and coasting saves both fuel and your brakes, reducing maintenance costs. Moreover, impatience and frustration can lead to stress and cardiovascular disease. Remember: there are two ways to accelerate a car and two ways to slow a car down. Drive ahead and plan accordingly. Driving at or below the posted speed limit will also save fuel. Most vehicles receive the best fuel economy at 90 kilometers per hour (km/h). You'll increase fuel economy by lowering your speed from 100 to 90 km/h, and almost 23 per cent lowering your speed to from 120 to 90 km/h. Proper MaintenanceA properly maintained vehicle is one that can operate at the efficiency it has been designed to operate at. This means it will cost you less on fuel and maintenance over the life of the vehicle. It will also reduce the amount of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.Properly maintained tires are important. For every 3 pounds below the recommended tire pressure, fuel economy is reduced by 1 per cent. Under inflated tires are also unsafe, reduce handling capability and the life of your tires. Since tires constantly lose pressure, they need to be checked regularly. IdlingBy conservative estimates, Canadians waste $2 million each day from needless idling. That translates into the waste of 2 million litres of gasoline, and 5000 tonnes of preventable carbon dioxide emissions on a daily basis.Idling is a very inefficient way to warm up a vehicle and is hard on the engine. Even on the coldest winter days, modern engines allow driving after as little as 30 seconds of warm-up. If warming up is needed, a block heater is best. If you're stopped for ten seconds or more, it's less expensive to turn off your engine rather than letting it idle. Remote starters and drive-throughs are simply excuses to pollute and waste fuel and money. Given the dual challenges of peak oil and climate change, the planet no longer has the luxury for anyone to engage in such offensive extravagance. With 5000 premature deaths in Ontario alone and over 16, 000 premature deaths in Canada each year due to air pollution, for which the largest single source is from vehicles, idling is an unnecessary health expenditure we need do without. Why not begin an anti-idling campaign in your community, with your school board or school, at the shopping mall, or your place of work? Health ConcernsDriving is perhaps the most dangerous activity you can undertake. Accident statistics speak for themselves, but beyond accidents, there are many health concerns from using a vehicle regularly.Gasoline, for instance is a hazardous substance that is both toxic and carcinogenic. It is responsible for smog formation and when spilled can pollute ecosystems and poison living organisms. Simply filling up a gas tank is an avoidable health risk. Pollutant levels inside a vehicle are 10 - 20 times higher than ambient pollution levels. These pollutants include sulfur and particulate matter, carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene, formaldehyde and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). Beyond these risks, frequent use of vehicles leads to obesity and reduced physical activity, which can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers. Children are particularly vulnerable to pollution, and when driven frequently, often adopt this unhealthy social norm, achieve low levels of physical activity and experience a number of diseases related to sedentary lifestyles and toxic pollution. |
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