Drivers to Pass “Green” Test

I see from an article in today’s Observer that new drivers are to be given tips on “green” or eco-friendly driving techniques.

Learner drivers will be taught tips such as accelerating and braking less strongly and changing gears sooner and be assessed on their abilities as part of the practical exam.

All of which amounts to:

· Drive more smoothly: harsh accelerating and braking use up much more fuel
· Avoid excessive speed, especially on motorways
· Watch ahead to anticipate when to slow down or stop well in advance
· Change gear as soon as possible, ideally around 1,500-2,500 revs
· Once the engine is warm, turn it off if you are going to stop for longer than a minute
· Keep tyre pressure at right level
· Take any excess baggage out of the car, and racks and boxes off the roof
· Switch off or turn down air conditioning and heating
· Avoid unnecessary trips
· Buy a more efficient car

Sometimes I wonder. Then, sometimes I despair. I’ve mentioned it before here, but I’ll mention it again. Twenty years ago I qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor [ADI] and I am currently going through the process of re-acquiring my qualification. I subsequently spent five years teaching people to drive. How I managed to do this without training those people how to drive in a manner that was economical on tyres, brakes and fuel; how to drive with consideration for other road users and hazards observed; indeed if I didn’t do just those very things mentioned in the article because they are the basic building blocks of good driving; beats me. I can only presume that those making this assumption do so from a position of both ignorance and arrogance; that this thought process has been carried out without consulting the people who do know what they are talking about; driving instructors, for instance.

The DSA may be making a note of these things in the test and they may nag ADIs to pay particular attention to them, but we have, once more, a government so bereft of ideas that it is telling ADIs to do the bleedin’ obvious. Not only that, it’s the bleedin’ obvious that they have been doing all along.