How to drive greener - What's the saving?

Can eco-safe driving save you cash? The Department for Transport believes that drivers of commercial diesel vehicles like vans could save up to 10% off their fuel bills, or £500 in a year, by driving sensibly. With 2.8 million vans on the road, that works out to £1.4 billion a year.

The Driving Standards Agency claims that eco-safe habits could mean the average driver uses 1.5 litres less fuel for every 62 miles. That's £232 saved every year if you cover 12,000 miles.

Of course, there's another, more important saving to be made by driving responsibly – to the environment. For example, the Government thinks that commercial vehicle drivers who drive about 20,000 miles a year could save up to a quarter of a tonne of carbon dioxide emissions each year per driver.

The same thing applies to us – by driving in an eco-safe manner, we can not only save ourselves money, but we can reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants.