Why Aggressive and Careless Driving Will Slowly Destroy Your Fuel Economy
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The ultimate survival skill in the South African economy is being business savvy, especially in the fleet business with climbing fuel prices. One of the hidden culprits of fuel wastage is aggressive and careless driving, and if you leave it unchecked, it will slowly destroy your business’s fuel economy.
Fuel Economy refers to the distance a vehicle can travel given the fuel volume, and is measured by the litres of fuel per 100km. The higher the litres per km you can travel, the better your vehicle’s fuel economy. Some of the most important components to consider in terms of fuel consumption and economy are driver behaviour and whether the vehicle is well-maintained. There’s nothing like sudden acceleration and faulty or worn parts to kickstart a fuel-guzzling bonanza that can cost you a fortune.
What can be classified as careless/aggressive driving?
Any driving behaviour will naturally affect your vehicle’s longevity and lead to expenses but what makes careless driving different is just how much more fuel it wastes and the increase in damage it can cause in a shorter space of time—not to mention safety concerns. To avoid careless or aggressive driving, you first need to know what these behaviours are, so let’s take a look:
Sudden or harsh braking: Harsh braking can lead to vehicles using up to 30% more fuel. How? The vehicle’s transmission shifts to a lower gear to regain the lost momentum, which then takes up more fuel.
Rapid acceleration: Accelerating your vehicle from a lower speed to a higher speed in a short period requires more energy than steady acceleration, leading to rapid drops in fuel levels instead of your fuel being used economically.
Revving the engine: Drivers tend to warm up the car in colder weather by revving the engine. As the vehicle is not moving towards a destination, the fuel used to rev the engine is wasted and can build up to significant fuel expenses over time.
Driving while carrying a heavy load: Sometimes, we tend to squeeze more stuff into our vehicles to limit our trips, whether it’s cargo meant for dispatch or luggage when we’re en route to a well-deserved vacation. Overloaded vehicles not only become fuel-guzzlers of note, but they are also safety risks on the road, as the driver will find it more difficult to apply an emergency brake, and cargo is more prone to fall off in transit.
Additionally, overloading a vehicle lowers tyre pressure, making the tyres run hotter. This leads to higher fuel costs, as under-inflated tyres can lower fuel mileage.
Ignoring maintenance warning signs: Ignoring vital signs on your dashboard, such as the oil signal, will cause the engine to work harder because it lacks lubrication. This will result in higher fuel consumption, which will require you to fork out more money for fuel costs.
Driver misbehavior is bad for your business. It revs up fuel costs, poses a danger to other drivers, and potentially increases fleet downtime with increased accidents, maintenance, and repairs.
How does careless driving damage your vehicle and shorten lifespan?
As we all know, you get the most value from your fleet when vehicle longevity is soaring. Careless driving increases the wear of crucial vehicle components such as the engine, transmission, brakes, and suspension. Regular maintenance alone is not enough to keep a vehicle running smoothly. Vehicles will need more replacements as aggressive driving goes on.
The impact of aggressive driving on the environment
I’m sure you’ve found yourself saying “the weather” never used to be like this. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), road transport accounts for 15% of global carbon emissions. Burning fossil fuels like petrol and diesel releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, like methane, are causing the earth’s atmosphere to be warm, causing the climate change we are already starting to see.
As we now know, aggressive driving burns fuels faster and is a major contributor to harmful emissions. Not only will bad driving habits drain your fuel, but they will also have a devastating effect on our climate.
Healthy driving for better fuel economy
As they say, “old habits die hard,” but it becomes easier once you understand these changes' benefits for your fleet’s fuel economy. Here are the simple changes you can introduce to your daily trips:
Keep a safe distance in traffic
A safe distance during traffic congestion helps you avoid sudden braking and acceleration. You will also get the hang of the traffic flow and improve your hazard anticipation.
Regular vehicle maintenance
With a detailed vehicle maintenance plan, fleet managers can avoid possible breakdowns in the long run and save fuel. For example, using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil, yourmileage can be improved by 1% - 2%.
Choose the most efficient route
A well-planned trip means effortless travelling, possibly with less traffic, reduced idling and less time spent on the road. Many fleet managers use fleet software to avoid unnecessary miles, which also helps prevent road rage incidents that trigger aggressive driving.
Once you start your vehicle, move immediately instead of revving to “warm up” the engine. Even when driving, unnecessary revving wastes a lot of fuel and increases wear and tear on the pads and engine, meaning there will be more expenses in the long run.
Get a fleet management system to help you monitor driver behaviour and fuel consumption.
Last but certainly not least, get a fleet management system that will help plan all the routes, see everything your drivers get up to, monitor transactions on your fuel card, and help youschedule your vehicles for maintenance. A sound fleet management system will give you insight into all things related to your fleet so you can make more informed decisions and train drivers if need be.
The best fleet management platform for your fuel economy - Cartrack
Here's how Cartrack can help you save fuel, costs, lives, and the planet. We have a fleet management system with features that allow you to keep track of fuel costs and driver behaviour.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Using camera-based sensors, intelligent algorithms, and artificial intelligence(AI), ADAS helps drivers maintain a safe following distanceby monitoring the distance between vehicles. This will high key come in handy when the goal is to avoid harsh braking and accidents.
Fuel Monitoring
Using Cartrack’s fuel monitoring tool, you canmonitor your fleet’s fuel levels and see when sudden changesin fuel usage occur. Combining fuel monitoring with MiFleet’s fuel validation, fuel fraud/theft detection system, and driver scorecards, you’ll be able to pinpoint whether the cause is harsh driving, fuel theft or fraud.
AI LiveVision
With Cartrack’s AI LiveVision cameras,you get 24-hour access to your fleet. Drivers will also receive real-time audible alerts whenever distracted driving, such as cell phone use and fatigue, is detected. The cameras also detect speeding, harsh cornering, and harsh braking.
Driver Scorecards
Get an overview of each of your drivers’ behaviourwith Cartrack’s driver reports and scorecards. This will help you pinpoint specific areas of improvement and offer coaching to enhance their skills and create safer and more fuel-efficient driving habits.
Introduce a culture of mindful driving with Cartrack solutions
Cartrack’s innovative solutions help you put money back into your pocket to sustain your fleet and optimise your operations the way you need to.
Contact us today and make bad driving habits a thing of the past.
What’s on your mind? Here are some of the FAQs on fuel-efficient driving, we hope this helps.
Aggressive driving, such as speeding, braking, and harsh acceleration, significantly increases fuel consumption and overall vehicle costs.
Not in all cases. Peak fuel efficiency for most vehicles is when the vehicle moves at 85-96 kilometres per hour. If the vehicle is slower than that, the transmission automatically shifts to a lower gear, which will require more fuel to maintain.
Driving super slow also means burning more fuel for longer. If the vehicle moves faster, it causes drag from wind resistance, and the engine will need to work harder to keep up with the momentum.
A decrease in fuel economy is mainly caused by poor maintenance, such as using the wrong oil, clogged filters, or under-inflated tyres, and bad driving habits, such as speeding or excessive braking.
The stop-and-go that happens during traffic congestion causes frequent acceleration and deceleration, which leads to more fuel consumption than driving at a constant speed. This is because you have to shift down to a lower gear and accelerate at higher engine revolutions.
Discover how the smallest changes to driving habits can make a massive difference in the amount you spend on fuel. Learn more here!
