OPINION: Car pools as a solution to budget-busting road costs
With analysts predicting a sharp rise in the petrol price, sharing the load is key to staying on the road without breaking your budget.
Just a few weeks into the New Year and already experts have predicted hefty petrol price hikes. Not the type of news South Africans want to hear at the start of the year. What’s more, with the e-toll system now in place in Gauteng, using the roads is becoming expensive business. For some, it is already unaffordable.
Carpooling is a viable and practical solution, yet is often overlooked. In addition to saving on petrol and e-toll tariffs, you are able to reduce the amount of time you spend at the wheel, and lessen wear and tear on your car.
Sharing lifts with just one person means you can cut your fuel costs by half. Increase the number of people in the car pool to four and you reduce your travel costs to a quarter of what it costs you to drive alone. No other fuel saving method provides such immediate and effective savings.
Carpool on school runs and trips to the gym. In countries like the US, it’s commonplace for parents to take turns with others transporting their children in the same direction. In South Africa, not so much. The grapple for parking bays outside schools is testament to that. While school car pools offer the opportunity to save on fuel, it’s also a chance for parents to free-up some time for themselves when it’s someone else’s turn to ferry.
A few tips:
• Plan your outings and errands so that you can do all of those which are in the same vicinity at the same time.
• Don’t speed. The faster you drive the more petrol you use.
• Avoid stop-start driving. This wastes petrol.
• Accelerate slowly. “Flooring it” guzzles petrol.
• Use your vehicle’s air conditioner sparingly as it substantially increases fuel consumption.
• Make sure that there are no holes in your car’s exhaust system.
• Use cruise control if possible.
• Don’t ride the clutch or brakes because it increases fuel consumption and will also wear them down faster.
• Keep a manual transmission in the highest gear possible without straining the engine.
• Close the car’s windows when driving. An open window creates a drag that increases fuel consumption by as much as 20%.
• Do not carry unnecessary weight in your car because the heavier the load, the more petrol your car uses.
• Optimise the efficiency of your car by carrying out regular services and ensuring that tyres are appropriately inflated.
Content provided by Budget Insurance .
